Chapter 53 – Stone Forest Gang

Jin Ja-gang found the stronghold of the Stone Forest Gang, not far from the village.

The manor of the Stone Forest Gang was situated at the end of a row of houses built along the winding Hong River.

Jin Ja-gang sat in the shade of a house wall with a view of the Stone Forest Gang’s main gate. To anyone passing by, he looked like a beggar, so hardly anyone paid him much attention.

In that state, Jin Ja-gang simply sat and observed.

For several days, he begged in the same spot, but strangely, no one passed directly in front of him. Or, to be precise, no one passed in front of the Stone Forest Gang’s gate.

Only those with business at the Stone Forest Gang came and went along that path.

It took Jin Ja-gang three days to understand why.

An old man, while giving him some rice, explained the reason.

“You look like you’re from out of town. Begging here won’t get you anything; no one comes this way.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at the old man as if he couldn’t speak. The old man clicked his tongue and continued.

“Those folks in that manor over there are so vicious that people around here take the long way around, even if they have business on this road.”

The public sentiment toward the Stone Forest Gang was so negative that the old man kept glancing nervously at the gang’s main gate while speaking.

“Those kinds of people should have been wiped out back then.”

As Jin Ja-gang ate the rice with his hands, he looked up at the old man with a questioning expression, as if asking what he meant.

The old man, lost in memories of the past, muttered to himself.

“Was it about seven or eight years ago…? They had some internal conflict and fought among themselves, causing chaos. Bodies were piling up everywhere… Ugh, I heard their leader died back then too. I’m just an ignorant old man, so I don’t know the details.”

Seven or eight years ago would mean it happened within a year after Jin Ja-gang was trapped in the mine. What could have caused such an internal conflict?

“But after that, they joined some Martial Arts Alliance or something, and their tyranny became even worse than before. Tsk.”

The old man clicked his tongue again.

“If you understand, you’d better leave this town quickly.”

With those words, the old man hurried back to his house as if being chased.

Jin Ja-gang, picking off grains of rice stuck to his fingers, stared at the Stone Forest Gang’s main gate.

As if flaunting their current power, the gate wasn’t even closed. A lazy gatekeeper leaned against the entrance, yawning exaggeratedly.

Jin Ja-gang glared at the Stone Forest Gang’s manor.

The Stone Forest Gang must be destroyed.

However, there was no need to rush.

Jin Ja-gang was the hunter, and his prey wasn’t going anywhere; it would remain right there.

“Keep the head cool, the actions swift, and the heart calm.”

Jin Ja-gang repeated the same mantra to himself once more.

He would devise a flawless plan and execute it meticulously. Only then could he achieve the desired result.

Until he had a solid plan, Jin Ja-gang continued to roam the village, gathering information. Besides, he also needed time for the wounds on his body to heal.

* * *

Eight years ago, the Stone Forest Gang had not only collapsed the mine shaft where Jin Ja-gang was trapped but also numerous other mines.

Yet, just a few months after that incident, an internal conflict suddenly erupted, resulting in the death of their leader and the appointment of a new one. It was said that the conflict was so severe that a significant number of gang members died, leaving only half of their original numbers.

Moreover, the new leader was so indulgent and fond of leisure that he had little interest in expanding the Stone Forest Gang. As a result, their numbers hadn’t been replenished since then.

“During the internal conflict, many skilled fighters died… So now, there are only three people who can be called experts, including the new leader. The number of regular warriors is around eighty.”

In terms of sheer numbers, this was a much more favorable situation compared to when he had attacked the Extreme Poison Sect.

Jin Ja-gang scouted the area around the Stone Forest Gang.

In the mountains near the gang’s stronghold, there were abundant growths of Smilax glabra, a vine-like herb similar to yam, known for its significant effectiveness in detoxifying cinnabar poison.

The poison accumulated in Jin Ja-gang’s body from the mine shaft was precisely cinnabar poison. Since the Stone Forest Gang was originally a faction that dealt with cinnabar, it was evident they cultivated Smilax glabra to produce antidotes for it.

“To defeat a faction that possesses the antidote to cinnabar poison with cinnabar poison itself…”

It was a situation akin to striking a rock with another rock.

However, Jin Ja-gang had already found a method.

He had memorized all the knowledge passed down by the survivors of the medicinal sects.

Jin Ja-gang gathered a large quantity of mugwort and tea tree leaves from the nearby forest.

Using wild berries as bait, he also caught a few birds with poison.

Once prepared, Jin Ja-gang decided it was time to begin. He descended to the village and headed toward the Stone Forest Gang’s manor.

* * *

Tap, roll.

A piece of bamboo bark rolled to a stop at the feet of the gatekeeper guarding the Stone Forest Gang’s main gate.

“What’s this?”

The gatekeeper picked up the bamboo bark and looked around. There was no one in sight.

He examined the bamboo bark. Words were carved on the inside.

“Three days from now, I will come to take over the Stone Forest Gang…?”

Even after reading the message, the gatekeeper’s expression didn’t change.

“What is this, some crazy b*st*rd?”

Without much thought, he dismissed it as insignificant and snapped the bamboo bark in half.

From a distance, Jin Ja-gang observed the scene.

The gatekeeper’s reaction was utterly bewildering.

In a proper faction, even the smallest matter should be reported to superiors as a priority.

Yet, this gatekeeper had simply brushed it off on his own.

From what Jin Ja-gang had observed so far, the gatekeepers didn’t even adhere to proper shift changes. Sometimes they left early, and other times they drank with the next shift’s gatekeeper instead of switching out.

This showed just how lax the faction’s discipline was.

Originally, Jin Ja-gang had intended to provoke their vigilance and exploit their weaknesses, but with such a lack of discipline, there was no need for that.

Jin Ja-gang quietly hid himself, avoiding the Stone Forest Gang’s main gate and circling around to the side wall.

In his hands, he held a dead bird and some dry twigs.

After circling the wall to a somewhat distant clearing beside the Stone Forest Gang’s manor, Jin Ja-gang checked the wind direction and nodded.

Then, he sat down, started a fire, and began roasting the bird.

This wasn’t something that would show results immediately.

He would need to continue this action for at least three days.

* * *

Jo Yang, the new leader of the Stone Forest Gang, was drinking in broad daylight.

“Hahaha! Eat as much as you want. Drink as much as you want.”

It seemed this wasn’t the first or second day of drinking with his subordinates and women in his arms, as everyone was thoroughly drunk and busy guzzling down liquor.

Even the steward, who should have been managing the gang’s affairs, was quite intoxicated and asked Jo Yang:

“Oh, by the way, Leader. There’s the Yunnan Poison Sect Assembly in a month. What should we do about that?”

It was a regular gathering held every three years among Yunnan’s poison sects to exchange information, trade poisons, and plan for the future.

Not only the four major poison sects but also most mid-to-small poison sects attended, and this assembly served as a foundation for interactions with poison sects in the Central Plains, making it far from a minor event.

However, Jo Yang had no interest in such matters.

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Just do as usual. Prepare ten escorts, get some silk and other things as a gesture of goodwill, and make sure to set aside something special for Valley Leader Wei Zong.”

“Understood.”

Jo Yang, exposing his bulging belly, leaned back in his chair as if sprawling out and chugged from a bottle of liquor.

“Hmm? We’re out of liquor. Bring more, bring more!”

“What are you all doing? Didn’t you hear the Leader asking for more liquor!”

“Hahaha, what’s life if not for enjoying it? Eat and die! Eat!”

Jo Yang was reveling in the feeling of being the leader.

The wealth the previous leader, Jia Hei, had received from Poison Valley as compensation for temporarily closing the mines was substantial. Moreover, with the mines reopened, there was no shortage of funds.

Even though it had been over seven years since he staged a rebellion to take over the gang, he could still live a life of leisure every day without worry.

If funds ran low, they could simply plunder from nearby villages. And since such trivial matters were handled by his subordinates, there was no need for him to concern himself with details like ordering raids.

Jo Yang had always been that kind of person. He lacked ambition or greed for wealth and lived life as it came. To outsiders, it might seem surprising that someone like him had instigated an internal conflict to become the leader.

Soon, a warrior entered carrying a tray with bottles of liquor, but suddenly coughed.

“Cough, cough.”

“Hmm?”

Jo Yang’s drunken eyes narrowed.

“You’re ruining the mood.”

The warrior hurriedly knelt down.

“I’m sorry. There’s a cold going around lately…”

A high-ranking subordinate beside Jo Yang kicked the warrior.

“If you’ve caught a cold, go lie down or rest somewhere, why are you coming in here!”

Crash.

The liquor bottles shattered, creating a mess.

The warrior, trembling, picked up the broken bottle pieces. Even then, he coughed again.

“Cough, cough.”

“Get out of here and tell someone else to bring the liquor!”

Though it was a minor commotion, since everyone was drunk, no one paid much attention.

One of the intoxicated subordinates spoke up.

“But lately, there are a lot of people coughing.”

Jo Yang snorted.

“A cold in the summer? What kind of cold is that?”

“Exactly. It’s because the young ones these days are so weak. Back in our day, we just…”

The subordinates chimed in agreement.

“We’ll gather the kids soon and tighten discipline.”

“Do that. It’s embarrassing to see them catching colds like weaklings, tsk.”

Jo Yang, downing the newly brought liquor, sank back into his drunken stupor.

He had little concern for the lax discipline within the Stone Forest Gang.

* * *

“Cough, cough.”

The gatekeeper of the Stone Forest Gang coughed.

“Ugh, my head is pounding. Why has this been going on for days?”

It wasn’t just the gatekeeper; the warriors passing through the manor were also coughing and hacking.

Most of them were either coughing or showing signs of illness. A severe cold was spreading.

The gatekeeper suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his nose. Turning his head, he saw smoke rising from the side wall.

“Cough.”

As the smoke reached his nose, he coughed again.

“Damn it, I’m already annoyed enough with this cough, and now some idiot is starting a fire?”

The gatekeeper rolled up his sleeves and stormed out.

Rounding the side wall, he saw a beggar roasting a dog over a fire.

The acrid smoke was being carried by the wind straight into the Stone Forest Gang’s manor.

“Ha? Look at this beggar b*st*rd. Who do you think you are, roasting a dog right here?”

The gatekeeper, dumbfounded, charged forward to kick the beggar. But as he got closer and inhaled the smoke from the fire, he coughed again.

“Cough, cough!”

He saw the beggar tossing a handful of mugwort into the fire.

“Cough, cough! Hey, you! Even if you have nothing else to burn, how can you burn mugwort! Ugh, it’s so acrid.”

Even as the gatekeeper approached and scolded him, the beggar calmly tore off a leg of the dog and chewed on it.

“If you don’t get out of here right now, cough, cough!”

The smoke grew thicker.

The reason became clear: the beggar was fanning the smoke toward the gatekeeper with dry brushwood.

“Cough, cough! You, you ridiculous bas-“

He kept coughing. The incessant coughing made his eyes water and his head spin. With the beggar continuously fanning smoke at him, the gatekeeper’s eyes teared up so much he couldn’t keep them open.

Suddenly, the gatekeeper felt a boiling sensation in his stomach.

Before he could hold it back, he began to vomit.

“Urk, urk! Blech! Blech!”