Chapter 82

Jin Ja-gang watched the horse gallop away, then turned his head.

“Horses have a homing instinct and will return to where they came from. If you hurry, you can still get the antidote in time.”

“You think we’d fall for such a petty trick…!”

Jin Ja-gang cut off Chu Sajin’s words.

“Even if you call it a petty trick, what can you do if you don’t follow my instructions?”

Chu Sajin was at a loss for words.

It was true. Jin Ja-gang didn’t seem to have any particularly impressive martial arts, yet he was strangely formidable. Chu Sajin had no confidence he could win in a fight.

“Ugh…”

Chu Sajin bit his lip, but he couldn’t easily back down.

Chu Sajin shouted.

“A righteous martial artist never begs for his life!”

The warriors who had been frightened by Jin Ja-gang’s earlier display now rekindled their fighting spirit at Chu Sajin’s cry.

Jin Ja-gang stared at Chu Sajin.

For a moment, he felt stifled. Anger welled up.

What a ridiculous, pathetic reaction this was.

Until now, Jin Ja-gang had survived by enduring hellish ordeals. He’d killed masters who could have crushed him with a finger, all just to stay alive.

Of course, survival wasn’t his only goal. He had to live in order to take revenge.

Jin Ja-gang himself had once been a righteous martial artist!

So perhaps Chu Sajin could be the same. If there’s a clear purpose, and you have a conviction worth dying for, risking your life is justified.

But this wasn’t one of those situations, was it?

Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent began to rise as he asked,

“Do you have such a deep grudge against me that you must risk your life to fight?”

“That’s not it, but…”

“Am I your mortal enemy, someone you can’t live under the same sky with?”

“…”

“Then why are you showing me such hostility?”

Chu Sajin couldn’t give a proper answer.

He’d never encountered a reaction like this before.

Chu Sajin had grown up hearing that a righteous martial artist never yields to threats. He’d always thought that was the natural way.

“That’s because…”

“You say you never beg for your life, but why am I being threatened by people I have no grudge with, forced to obey you just to survive?”

“That’s because we’re the righteous faction…”

Jin Ja-gang sneered at that reply.

“Does being righteous mean you’re always just?”

After what he’d experienced at the Yunnan branch of the Martial Arts Alliance, nothing sounded more hypocritical to Jin Ja-gang.

“Or does it mean everyone else is wrong and only you are right?”

Chu Sajin was flustered by Jin Ja-gang’s obvious discomfort.

It was hard to answer such a fundamental question.

He’d simply followed what he’d been taught, never really thinking deeply about the banner of righteousness.

But unable to back down, Chu Sajin shouted,

“Then are you saying you’re righteous?”

“Of course not.”

Jin Ja-gang answered as if it were obvious.

“I can only be righteous when I’m dealing with my enemies.”

Chu Sajin was somewhat shocked by Jin Ja-gang’s answer.

It was a complicated but simple response.

A phrase that was almost philosophical left him speechless.

In a way, Chu Sajin was chasing a villain who had thrown Yunnan into chaos, but the truth was, he was also motivated by selfish ambition to grow Ojo Sect.

With selfish motives mixed in, could he really call himself righteous?

“Hmm…”

Chu Sajin was troubled.

But Jin Ja-gang didn’t care what Chu Sajin was thinking.

“Go. But if you chase me again, there won’t be another warning.”

Jin Ja-gang ignored Chu Sajin and the warriors and simply walked away.

Chu Sajin gripped his sword tightly as he watched Jin Ja-gang’s retreating back, but he couldn’t bring himself to swing it.

He’d been intimidated by Jin Ja-gang’s earlier display, and the words Jin Ja-gang had spoken kept echoing in his mind.

He felt angry and humiliated, but his hands were trembling and he couldn’t do anything.

Meanwhile, Jin Ja-gang grew more and more distant.

In the end, Chu Sajin learned nothing from Jin Ja-gang.

The first of the warriors to regain his composure spoke up.

“Master Chu, a true gentleman knows when to retreat. We can’t handle him. It would be better to inform the elder right away.”

Chu Sajin nodded.

“We’ll stay here and watch in case he flees somewhere else. You go and bring the elder.”

Chu Sajin and two warriors stayed behind, sending one to fetch Mang Ryo. The warrior prepared to run, but suddenly clutched his stomach with a grimace.

“What’s wrong?”

“My stomach… No, it’s nothing. I’ll go.”

Chu Sajin watched the warrior run off toward Ojo Sect, then prepared to pursue Jin Ja-gang himself.

But his own stomach was starting to feel uneasy.

Looking at the other warriors, their faces didn’t look good either.

“What’s wrong with you two?”

“Our stomachs…”

Gulp.

Chu Sajin swallowed dryly without realizing it.

Could it be… was that young man telling the truth?

Were they really poisoned?

No, it couldn’t be. But the young man didn’t seem like he was lying.

Should they go back to Ojo Sect now and get the antidote from the horse’s saddle?

“Hm?”

Suddenly, his mouth filled with saliva, tasting sour and bitter.

The warriors spat, feeling uneasy.

“Ptooey. Something’s wrong. We’d better get out of here.”

“Let’s do that.”

Their mouths dried up, cold sweat began to form, their heads spun, and their stomachs cramped.

“Ugh…”

Chu Sajin clutched his stomach, his face twisted in horror.

“We really are poisoned!”

Chu Sajin and the two warriors quickly retreated to a large rock and leaned against it.

There was no way they could chase Jin Ja-gang now.

“M-Master Chu!”

“Ugh, he was right. We need to… find the horse and get the antidote…”

But their legs were shaking so badly, they couldn’t even walk. All they could do was wait for the warrior who’d gone to fetch Mang Ryo to return with the antidote.

“Uuuurgh!”

One of the warriors rolled on the ground.

“Ah, my stomach! My… my stomach!”

Chu Sajin gritted his teeth and endured the pain, leaning against the rock.

He’d always claimed not to fear death as a righteous martial artist, but he was still young. Dying like this felt so unfair.

But then!

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The urgent sound of hooves brightened Chu Sajin’s expression.

The warrior who’d gone to fetch Mang Ryo returned on horseback, with Mang Ryo himself almost flying alongside, supported by a single crutch.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Mang Ryo arrived almost at the same time as the horse. Chu Sajin, thinking he was saved, called out.

“Uncle!”

Mang Ryo immediately checked Chu Sajin’s condition.

“I heard what happened on the way. Are you alright?”

“Yes… He was too strong… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Now that I’m here, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

With Mang Ryo there, Chu Sajin felt reassured.

He’d never met anyone as chivalrous or as powerful as Mang Ryo, despite his appearance.

Mang Ryo looked around, then immediately used lightness skill to climb the tallest tree. He seemed to be searching for the limping youth.

“Master Chu, here’s the antidote!”

The warrior who’d come on horseback took out a vial and handed it to Chu Sajin.

“I tried it myself. It’s fine. Please take it.”

“Thank you.”

Chu Sajin, sweating profusely, reached for the vial. But before he could take it, the vial disappeared into thin air.

Mang Ryo had come down from the tree and snatched it away.

“Don’t take anything until we know what it is.”

Chu Sajin respected his uncle too much to protest, and could only look at Mang Ryo with pained eyes.

The warrior tried to explain.

“I took it and I’m fine…”

“Shh.”

Mang Ryo silenced the warrior, then went to the spot where the limping youth had scattered poison powder. He sniffed the air and tasted the ground with his fingers.

Meanwhile, Chu Sajin was in agony from his stomach.

After a careful analysis, Mang Ryo snorted.

“Hmph, I thought he’d cultivated some real poison skills, but he’s still got a long way to go. So soft, tsk.”

“U-Uncle?”

Chu Sajin, sweating and writhing, called out for Mang Ryo, not even sure who he was talking to anymore.

Mang Ryo laughed cheerfully, as if he’d just remembered something.

“Ha ha ha! Don’t worry so much. This is just Wawa Powder-it only causes pain.”

“Huh?”

A frog, when it dies, flips over and exposes its belly. This powder is named for the kind of stomach pain that makes you want to do the same.

“You’ll suffer for a few days, but it won’t kill you.”

“Oh…”

Chu Sajin was relieved.

“So the antidote…”

“This antidote is the real poison. If you’d taken it, you’d be in real trouble. That kid is truly wicked! What a nasty trick.”

The warrior who’d already taken the “antidote” turned pale.

“Then I…”

“Just wait. No matter how urgent, I have to look after my nephew first.”

Mang Ryo pulled a small vial from his sleeve and opened it. He poured out a few small, fragrant pills.

“Here, take two of these.”

Chu Sajin took the pills with trembling hands. They melted quickly in his mouth. Mang Ryo gave pills to the other warriors as well and closed the vial.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Uncle, I… Uuuurgh!”

Something was wrong. The pain in his stomach was even worse than before.

It had hurt before, but now it was excruciating, as if his intestines were being torn apart.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Chu Sajin screamed in agony.

The other three warriors were the same.

All of them rolled on the ground. Even the warrior who’d taken the “antidote” earlier was now writhing in pain.

Chu Sajin, terrified, looked at Mang Ryo, but Mang Ryo’s expression was strangely peaceful.

“U-Uncle?”

Suddenly, a burning sensation welled up from deep inside.

“Uwek!”

He vomited blood mixed with bits of his own organs.

This couldn’t be the effect of an antidote!

The other warriors vomited blood and wet themselves, shivering in terror.

Mang Ryo crouched in front of Chu Sajin and spoke in a leisurely tone, like a grandfather telling a story.

“My boy, do you know the saying ‘If you keep pulling a cat’s tail, eventually a lion will come out’?”

Chu Sajin wondered if it was some martial arts mantra, but it didn’t seem like it.

“I-I don’t know… Aaaagh!”

“It means, thinking you’re just pulling a cat’s tail, but eventually you pull out a lion.”

“What does that have to do with anything…?”

Mang Ryo patted Chu Sajin’s head with a gentle hand and smiled.

“It means everything. That limping brat is the one who pulled the lion’s tail. And you, my boy, have played a very, very important role as the starting point. In other words, you’re the cat’s tail.”

“Huh?”