Chapter 190

Mang Ryo answered nonchalantly.

“Well, it’s because the elder told me to do so. If you don’t like the marriage partner I recommend, I’ll change it to someone else.”

When Mang Ryo gestured, the Tang family warriors behind him brought forward a pockmarked young man. Whether they had brought him from some countryside, he had a stupid expression and his face was covered with pockmarks.

“That’s supposed to be my marriage partner?”

Tang Ha-ran could only stare back and forth between the young man and Mang Ryo in disbelief.

Soon Tang Ha-ran’s face flushed red with shame.

“This, this! Even if you mock me, there should be limits.”

Tang Ha-ran shouted.

“Get rid of them! Remove these filthy things from my sight!”

However, the warriors around Tang Ha-ran only looked around nervously without moving.

“What are you all doing! Are you saying you won’t even listen to my orders now!”

The angry Tang Ha-ran extended her hand like lightning. A whip uncoiled like a snake from her waist.

Crack!

The whip wrapped around the neck of the pockmarked young man who had been watching stupidly.

“Urk! Gak!”

The pockmarked young man, who seemed to know no martial arts at all, quickly had his face turn pale as his breath was cut off. Tang Ha-ran applied more force. The pockmarked young man trembled in his limbs and fell to his knees.

But Mang Ryo just smiled and watched. After all, he was a useless fool brought from some countryside.

Tang Ha-ran’s face became even redder with rage.

“Tell me… what do you really want.”

Mang Ryo placed a small bottle in front of Tang Ha-ran.

“It’s the antidote for the poison that was on my prosthetic leg.”

“So?”

“Take this and go to Mount Qingcheng.”

Tang Ha-ran pulled the whip tighter. The pockmarked young man fell forward.

“You don’t like the partner I chose for you, it seems. How disappointing.”

“What if I can’t go to Mount Qingcheng?”

But Mang Ryo smiled.

“Don’t want to? You might not want to. Then you’ll have to marry the pockmarked fellow in front of you.”

Crack.

Tang Ha-ran ground her teeth and pulled the whip.

Snap, with the sound, the pockmarked young man’s neck twisted. The young man’s pants became wet and a foul smell wafted up. His neck had broken instantly and he died.

Tang Ha-ran smiled murderously.

“Well, the marriage partner is gone. What will you do now?”

“I told you. If you don’t like him, I’ll change him to someone else.”

Mang Ryo wasn’t disturbed at all. Then he took out the King of Hell Plaque from his sleeve and rolled it on the table making clicking sounds.

Seeing the King of Hell Plaque, Tang Ha-ran’s eyes widened greatly. Her face instantly turned pale.

“How is the King of Hell Plaque in your hands…”

“You seem to be mistaken, but this isn’t a request – it’s an order.”

“I won’t let this pass!”

Crack!

Tang Ha-ran released her whip and struck the floor, threatening Mang Ryo. The stone floor was deeply gouged.

However, Mang Ryo brazenly held the King of Hell Plaque up to Tang Ha-ran’s face. Tang Ha-ran’s arms trembled. She couldn’t strike with the whip when the King of Hell Plaque was there.

Mang Ryo erased the smile from his face and spoke coldly.

“If you understand well, stop throwing tantrums and go. Go and seduce that fellow by any means necessary. Bring him to the Tang family. If you keep acting arrogantly, next time it won’t be a pockmarked fellow but a sixty-year-old simpleton with leprosy who has never tasted a woman who will become your husband.”

* * *

Clatter, clatter.

A gold ring rolled around on the table. The gold ring rolled to the edge of the table, then just before falling off the edge, it rolled back.

Baek Li-jung flicked the ring with his finger again. The ring rolled to the table’s edge again and returned, repeating this motion.

Baek Li-jung wore an indifferent expression, but unlike his usual sharp appearance, something was different.

Sim Hak beside him grumbled and said.

“This is really too much. No matter what, how can someone salt and send a person’s arm? Is that something a Taoist of Wudang Sect would do? It’s not even something you can eat, so what are we supposed to do when they send a pickled human arm? Ugh!”

Baek Li-jung remained silent.

“And then, saying they’re returning it because the body didn’t come with it so it’s useless? Ugh! What kind of nonsense is that? Just because he’s the alliance leader, does that make it okay? Why do such disgusting things?”

Indeed, in front of Sim Hak was a long box, and eerily, inside the box was a human arm preserved in salt. And the accompanying message was even more eerie.

Return shipment, lacking head, missing torso, short on legs… meaning it was returned because it lacked a head, body, and legs.

However, the characters for lacking, missing, and short all contained the meaning of not meeting requirements and being insufficient.

In other words, this message was making the demand: “The head, torso, and legs are lacking. So attach the rest and make it into one piece.”

Baek Li-jung, who had been silent all along, said one thing.

“It’s a warning. To me.”

“No, that’s what I’m saying. Even if he’s the alliance leader, there are things that are acceptable and things that aren’t. It’s not like we’re strangers – how can he do this to the Pavilion Master? Over just one mistake… and it’s the arm of someone he cherished like a daughter…”

Sim Hak, who had been saying “the arm of someone he cherished like a daughter,” shut his mouth thinking “oh no.” Baek Li-jung glanced at Sim Hak. Sim Hak quickly changed the subject.

“Well… I knew the alliance leader was originally that kind of person, but I thought it was too much.”

Clatter, clatter.

Baek Li-jung closed his mouth again and rolled the gold ring.

But suddenly Baek Li-gwon entered and knelt at the room’s entrance.

“Master.”

Baek Li-jung didn’t even look at him and asked.

“How is your body?”

“The internal injuries have mostly healed.”

“Good… then get lost.”

Baek Li-gwon was surprised and raised his head.

“Master!”

Baek Li-jung didn’t listen and kept rolling the gold ring.

Sim Hak hurriedly ran over and helped Baek Li-gwon up.

“Young master. Please withdraw for today.”

“Master, I was wrong!”

“Young master… now is not a good time, so please come again later.”

Sim Hak consoled Baek Li-gwon and sent him away.

Then he was about to enter himself but realized the atmosphere was really not good.

Sim Hak went to the kitchen, prepared alcohol and simple snacks, brought them to the room, and quietly left, closing the door.

Left alone, Baek Li-jung rolled the gold ring for a while, then much later stopped and picked up the gold ring.

Scrape, he carelessly pushed back his chair and stood up, then approached the wooden box containing the arm and looked down inside.

When Baek Li-jung extended his hand, the salted arm floated up and was drawn into Baek Li-jung’s hand.

Baek Li-jung grasped the wrist of the slippery pickled arm and put the gold ring on the ring finger. The arm’s ring finger already had one gold ring on it. It was the same shape as the one Baek Li-jung had.

Rings are originally two pieces that make a pair.

When he put on the gold ring, the two rings fit together like one, becoming a perfect pair.

Baek Li-jung nodded seeing this, then sat at the table holding the arm. He placed the arm on the table and set out two cups. He poured alcohol into one cup and placed it in front of the arm, and drank from the other himself.

A meaningless smile formed at the corners of Baek Li-jung’s mouth.

“Perhaps both you and I are living truly futile lives.”

Baek Li-jung poured another cup of alcohol and drank it, then lifted the arm.

At that moment, flames arose from Baek Li-jung’s hand.

Whoosh!

Samadhi True Fire!

The arm with the pair of gold rings was instantly engulfed in flames.

Crackle, crackle!

Black smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the room.

But Baek Li-jung didn’t even frown and just watched with an indifferent expression.

* * *

The group settled in Qingcheng Sect’s hermitage finally caught their breath.

Fortunately, Qingcheng Sect kept their promise and didn’t interfere with the group’s actions. However, whenever they tried to cross the line that Taoist Bok-cheon had drawn, sharp energy would invariably fly from somewhere.

Woon-jeong, who knew the way well, went down from the hermitage to obtain food and medicine, so there was no inconvenience in living.

Thanks to this, Jin Ja-gang could concentrate on training with peace of mind. Dan Ryeong-gyeong was still suffering from poison but often made time to guide Jin Ja-gang in martial arts.

On the third day at the hermitage.

Jin Ja-gang quietly practiced the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique behind the hermitage.

He tried moving slowly while suppressing his internal energy as much as possible to avoid damaging his qi and blood. However, no matter how well controlled it was, he couldn’t suppress the speed. His qi and blood couldn’t withstand the flow of internal energy and burst with popping sounds.

However, Jin Ja-gang didn’t give up and tried to control the speed.

If slow wouldn’t work, then fast.

The wheel of internal energy began spinning fiercely.

Rumble.

The characteristic thunder sound of the Jade Void Nine Light Five Thunder Toad Technique rang out.

Even so, he was still at the first stage. The middle dantian – he had only built one dam.

Jin Ja-gang tried to use the power he had raised to break through even the blocked qi and blood on his left side.

But before long, the burden on his qi and blood became severe and blood began to seep out.

Pop, pop.

Strangely, as the qi and blood on his right side weakened from frequent ruptures, the qi and blood on his left side was actually becoming harder and more solid.

As Dan Ryeong-gyeong had said, his body’s balance was seriously distorted.

Jin Ja-gang slowly withdrew his internal energy.

The internal energy that had been circulating through his qi and blood calmed down, spread to various parts of his meridians, and dispersed before disappearing. Though he couldn’t gather internal energy in his dantian, he could feel power accumulating as it dispersed through the broader meridians.

“Whew.”

Jin Ja-gang opened his eyes after finishing his training.

Woon-jeong, who had been crouching and watching from afar, quickly got up and ran over.

“Poison Dragon benefactor. Your qi and blood condition doesn’t look good. It’s good to train every day, but if the burden on your body increases, your qi and blood will gradually weaken.”

“I know. But I must train and become familiar with it whenever I have time. If I can’t use it properly when needed, I’ll never be able to use it for life.”

Woon-jeong sighed.

“Sigh. Poison Dragon benefactor is really living on a knife’s edge.”

Woon-jeong felt embarrassed thinking he was too different from himself and scratched his head. Then he screamed.

“Ahhh!”

It was because he touched the bump from being hit by Taoist Bok-cheon. Woon-jeong said with tears welling up.

“Still, Poison Dragon benefactor’s recovery ability is amazing. Your wounds heal faster than the bump on my head. Burst capillaries on your skin heal in half a day. Ow… my head. Master always hits my head saying I’m stupid.”

But suddenly Woon-jeong looked at Jin Ja-gang with strange eyes.

“Why… are you looking at me like that?”

“Poison Dragon benefactor…”

“Please… speak.”

“Let’s help each other. I’ll help Poison Dragon benefactor, so please teach me how to live smartly in the world.”

“How to live smartly in the world? Is there such a thing?”

“Poison Dragon benefactor speaks every word clearly and precisely, showing intelligence to anyone who hears. I’ve read enough scriptures and martial arts books, but I don’t show such signs at all.”

Jin Ja-gang wiped the blood that had seeped out with a towel and said.

“That seems more like a matter of reading situations rather than intelligence.”

“Then please let me know when I’m acting without awareness. You can scold me too. Master said I have to learn by rolling around.”

“I understand.”

“Then it’s a promise. Haha. If you need anything, please tell me too, Poison Dragon benefactor.”

Woon-jeong laughed happily, feeling reassured.

Jin Ja-gang repeated.

“Something I need…”