Chapter 286 – Green Is the Same Color, But It Can Also Play Separately (2)

Dam Ho and Eum Yu-kyung remained silent throughout their return to the inn. Each was lost in their own thoughts.

Their silence continued even after they returned to the inn.

The first to speak was Eum Yu-kyung.

"Hero Dam."

Dam Ho raised his head to look at her.

Conflict was clearly visible on Eum Yu-kyung's face. She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"The Tang Sect's poison people… did you notice anything strange about them?"

"Are you referring to the soul-lost people?"

"So you did notice."

"I've experienced them before."

"I see."

Eum Yu-kyung nodded.

Dam Ho stared at her intently and asked:

"Is it the Demon Cult again?"

"It seems so. The method of creating soul-lost people has only been passed down within the Divine Cult."

"I see."

"It's one of the methods the Divine Cult uses to punish those who commit serious crimes. They strip away the reason of those who refuse to repent for their sins and sentence them to over ten years of hard labor. Once someone becomes a soul-lost person, they have no choice but to follow the commands of the one who binds their soul. They may appear normal on the surface, but in reality, they cannot make proper judgments and can only follow the orders given to them."

A subtle anger appeared on Eum Yu-kyung's face.

Creating soul-lost people was taboo even within the Demon Cult. It was a method that was absolutely never used unless someone had committed a truly grave sin.

"The method of creating soul-lost people is the most classified of secrets. Even within the Divine Cult, only an extremely limited number of people can manufacture soul-lost people. Naturally, leaking this to outsiders is absolutely forbidden."

"But soul-lost people were created within the Tang Sect."

"Yes!"

Eum Yu-kyung's voice lacked strength as she answered. Her face was filled with self-loathing.

She had stronger pride in the Divine Cult than anyone else. Though the world pointed fingers at them and called them the Demon Cult, she had taken pride in believing that their intentions were noble. But at this moment, her self-esteem and pride were trampled into the mud at rock bottom.

"Creating soul-lost people is never an easy task. Our sect also spent countless years researching to perfect the method of creating soul-lost people. No matter how proficient the Tang Sect may be with poisons and hidden weapons, it would be impossible for them to perfect the method of creating soul-lost people in a short time. Whether the entire Tang Sect has joined hands with our sect, or some among them have betrayed their principles, either way, they are definitely involved."

Eum Yu-kyung sighed once more.

She tried to think positively, but the truth was that she kept having ominous feelings.

"It seems like something unusual is happening in Sichuan Province. Yul-cheon's disappearance, and now the Tang Sect's soul-lost people. None of these things can be easily overlooked."

Dam Ho nodded at her words.

Ever since entering Sichuan Province, he had felt it – there were unknown undercurrents flowing here.

Whether this was limited to just the Demon Cult, or whether the Heavenly Evil Sect was also involved, he couldn't tell, but it was certain that this was not a normal situation.

A sea of chaos awaited him.

One so turbid that he couldn't see even an inch ahead.

***

"Il-rang is dead."

At the carefully delivered voice, Tang Sa-il's movement stopped completely.

Drip! Drip!

Ink flowed from the brush he was holding, staining the rice paper black. The orchid painting he had been carefully working on was ruined by the ink, but Tang Sa-il didn't even twitch.

Tang Sa-il moved only after a considerable amount of time had passed. He set the brush down on the rice paper and turned around. There, he saw a middle-aged man in his mid-forties prostrating himself. It was his trusted subordinate, Tang Chu-wun.

Tang Sa-il opened his mouth.

"Then the Soulless Wolves are dead too."

"That's correct."

"The bodies?"

"They all melted. No traces remain, so you need not worry."

"Hmm!"

Tang Sa-il's eyes sank deeply.

Tang Chu-wun silently watched such a Tang Sa-il.

"This is not good."

"I apologize."

"Were the Soulless Wolves insufficient opponents?"

"…"

Tang Chu-wun did not answer. No, he could not answer. He knew that Tang Sa-il's words were directed at himself.

"Troublesome. Very troublesome!"

Tang Sa-il muttered this several times.

After a moment, his gaze turned toward Tang Chu-wun.

"Have you identified his identity?"

"We're still confirming, but I have a rough idea about one of them."

"Who?"

"The Fist… Demon."

"The Fist Demon? Wasn't he holed up at Mount Hua?"

Tang Sa-il's eyes flashed.

"From the fact that his whereabouts were first exposed in Guangyuan, it seems he crossed the Shu Road."

"Hmm!"

"I apologize. Everything is my fault for not identifying his identity earlier."

Thud!

Tang Chu-wun struck the floor with his forehead. His forehead split and blood flowed, but Tang Chu-wun didn't know how to move.

Tang Sa-il watched such a Tang Chu-wun indifferently. But his mind was working more complexly than ever.

"The Fist Demon is someone who has fought the Demon Cult more than anyone else. He must know a lot about the Demon Cult as well. Perhaps he has realized that we are connected to the Demon Cult."

"Surely that can't be…"

"All assumptions must always consider the worst-case scenario."

Tang Sa-il's pupils turned cold. At this, Tang Chu-wun became even more at a loss.

"I apologize."

"What do you have to be sorry about? How could we have known that the Fist Demon, who was holed up at Mount Hua, would show up this far away in Sichuan Province? The problem is that the Fist Demon has touched our family. After the Poison Dragon Group, now the Soulless Wolves too. If we leave him be like this, not only will our family's reputation hit rock bottom, but our relationship with the Demon Cult will also be exposed."

"What should we do?"

"The Fist Demon, truly a troublesome opponent. He charges forward without regard for consequences, like a wild beast. Fighting such an existence would result in considerable damage on our side too. Rather than dirtying our own hands, it would be better to borrow their power."

"Then?"

"Contact them."

"I will do so."

"Fist Demon, I hope I never have to hear that name again."

"Um…"

Finally, when Tang Chu-wun carefully opened his mouth, this time killing intent appeared on Tang Sa-il's face.

"What else is it?"

"I apologize. But there is something I must definitely inform you of."

"Speak."

"There were witnesses."

"Who?"

"Well… they are disciples of the Emei Sect."

"The Emei Sect?"

"What should we do?"

Tang Chu-wun held his breath and waited for Tang Sa-il's mouth to open.

***

Nun Eun-yeop left the inn with Jung So-cheon and the others.

"Master, is there a need to leave so quickly? Wouldn't it be better to take time and make contact with them?"

"Junior sister."

"Yes?"

"Don't you understand?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whether we like it or not, we've become involved in the Tang Sect's affairs."

"What?"

"Poison people are beings that are taboo in the martial world. Of course, it's not legally prohibited, but it's implicitly forbidden. And the Tang Sect has broken such implicit rules."

At Nun Eun-yeop's words, Jung So-cheon's expression became slightly flushed.

"Master, are you thinking that the Tang Sect might harm us?"

"There's a possibility. As you know, the Tang Sect is such a closed place that not even an inch can be predicted."

"But isn't that too much of a leap in thinking?"

"It could be. But if there's even the slightest possibility, we must respond to it – that's the life of a martial artist."

Nun Eun-yeop's expression was rigidly stiff. For Nun Eun-yeop, who never lost her reason and remained cool-headed under any circumstances, to show such an expression meant the matter was that seriously important.

"First, informing the sect leader about what happened here is urgent. After that, whatever judgment the council of elders makes, we just need to follow it."

"Sigh! It's regrettable that we have to return like this without finding any clues about the missing people."

"It can't be helped. In Sichuan Province, there's nothing more important than the Tang Sect's movements."

"I understand, but…"

Jung So-cheon trailed off.

She understood with her head, but her heart still couldn't accept it. But since the chief disciple Nun Eun-yeop had decided, she had to follow.

'Speaking of which, that man…'

Dam Ho suddenly came to mind.

Dressed in pitch-black clothes like an incarnation of darkness, with violent techniques befitting the nickname Fist Demon. Jung So-cheon had never seen such a man before.

The Emei Sect was called by combining the Geumjeong Temple, which was mainly composed of nuns, and the Bokho Temple, which was mainly composed of male monks. Though it was externally perceived as a sect of nuns, the Emei Sect had a considerable number of male monks, and their martial prowess was no less than that of the nuns.

Particularly, the martial power of Master Gwang-un, the abbot of Bokho Temple, was truly formidable, to the extent that even the current sect leader of the Emei Sect, Master Jeong-myeong, would defer to him.

Jung So-cheon had always thought Master Gwang-un's martial power was the highest. But the moment she directly witnessed Dam Ho's martial prowess, she couldn't help but revise her thinking.

Master Gwang-un was strong, but Dam Ho was stronger. It wasn't a matter of the level of martial arts. His techniques, atmosphere, momentum, and even his mindset were different.

Dam Ho seemed like a human born to kill someone. Once he unleashed his momentum, one couldn't even breathe.

Jung So-cheon too had been overwhelmed by such momentum from Dam Ho. Before his terrifying killing intent, she had been as precarious as a candle flame. She even wondered who in the world could possibly be Dam Ho's match.

'Why did such a man come to Sichuan Province? Did he also come looking for missing people like us?'

All sorts of questions arose in Jung So-cheon's small head. But since she couldn't be certain about any of them, she dared not voice them.

That's when it happened.

"What kind of people are you?"

Suddenly, Nun Eun-yeop's voice rang out clearly. At this, Jung So-cheon snapped to attention and looked ahead.

A group was blocking their path ahead. Because of this, there was no space visible anywhere on the narrow official road for them to pass through.

At a glance, it was clear that they were deliberately occupying the official road. Jung So-cheon secretly raised her internal energy and became alert.

"Master."

So Yul-hee stood beside Jung So-cheon with a fearful expression. Jung So-cheon silently patted So Yul-hee's shoulder.

Then Nun Eun-yeop's voice rang out again.

"Didn't I ask what kind of people you are? How dare you block the path of Emei Sect disciples?"

"Haha! There seems to be a misunderstanding."

Then someone burst into hearty laughter from among the group blocking the road and stepped forward.

It was a man in his late forties wearing light green martial robes.

Nun Eun-yeop recognized him at a glance.

"Hero Tang Cheon-yang of the Tang Sect?"

"Haha! It's been a long time, Master Eun-yeop. I think it's been about five years since we last met."

Tang Cheon-yang burst into hearty laughter.

Unlike typical Tang Sect martial artists, Tang Cheon-yang had a good build. That's why Nun Eun-yeop remembered him clearly.

Though they were already acquainted, Nun Eun-yeop did not lower her guard. She knew the position Tang Cheon-yang held within the Tang Sect.

Thousand Poison Hall.

It was a place that researched all poisons existing in the Tang Sect and created new poisons. Along with the Thousand Weapon Hall, which specialized in researching hidden weapons, it was one of the Tang Sect's most core organizations.

Tang Cheon-yang was the master of the Thousand Poison Hall. He was definitely not someone who would easily come outside, so Nun Eun-yeop's wariness could only increase.

"How is Hero Tang Cheon-yang here?"

"Haha! This is truly an amazing coincidence. I was just looking for Master Eun-yeop."

"You were looking for me?"

"That's right."

"Why?"

"Our family head wishes to meet you. All of you…"

Tang Cheon-yang's gaze swept over Nun Eun-yeop, Jung So-cheon, and So Yul-hee. The moment So Yul-hee received his gaze, she shuddered and hid behind Jung So-cheon.

Nun Eun-yeop met Tang Cheon-yang's gaze head-on and said:

"Do we have the right to refuse?"

"Well!"

Tang Cheon-yang smiled meaningfully.

Jin Ja-gang remained motionless and stared directly at Oh Tae.

He could feel internal energy from Oh Tae’s body, who had seemed like someone who had never learned martial arts.

Oh Tae’s demeanor completely changed as he raised his internal energy. Yellow tears began flowing from his cloudy, dull eyes that had seemed like those of an ordinary country bumpkin. His eyes gradually began to clear.

He had originally dyed his eyes with muddy water to make them appear dull. The internal energy felt from Oh Tae was certainly no less than that of the masters Jin Ja-gang had met in Yunnan. In fact, he seemed superior to Black Scale Blade.

Oh Tae glared at Jin Ja-gang with chillingly sharp eyes and said.

“Listen, Poison Dragon. Still no intention of leaving? If you don’t leave, there’ll be only one thing to do and that’s spill blood.”

The feeling was completely different from before.

Jin Ja-gang looked at Oh Tae a bit longer, then stood up from his seat.

“When does the black market open?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Why else would I come to a black market? Isn’t it a place where anything can be traded?”

Oh Tae glared at Jin Ja-gang and answered.

“Three days from now.”

“I understand.”

The young men working under Oh Tae opened a path for him.

Jin Ja-gang left the gambling den without further argument.

Though Oh Tae had sent Jin Ja-gang away, his expression wasn’t particularly pleased. He frowned and muttered.

“Damn, it seems like a troublesome fellow has come. This level of reputation seems insufficient.”

The young men in the gambling den looked puzzled.

“Why… are you saying that?”

“He didn’t come intending to settle things immediately. He came to check out the atmosphere in advance.”

“What?”

“That’s why he withdrew obediently. Next time he comes, he won’t come empty-handed.”

Oh Tae snorted.

“I’d better prepare for proper trading. I’ll be meeting a real deal after a long time.”

* * *

Jin Ja-gang didn’t leave the village but stayed at a shabby inn.

Information is life in black markets. Since Jin Ja-gang’s identity was already known, the inn owner respectfully provided him a room.

“Sometimes, having a known name is good too.”

Perhaps this was why people were so obsessed with fame.

Jin Ja-gang washed up, had a simple meal, then fell into thought.

Oh Tae was the most psychologically skilled person Jin Ja-gang had ever met.

Even though he had done some research before coming to Gubuk Village, this was the first time he had been so thoroughly outmaneuvered.

Especially the final technique of switching the tiles had truly caught Jin Ja-gang off guard.

Who could have known he would open three of the four tiles and ask him to guess the remaining one!

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang had unconsciously looked at Oh Tae. He had studied Oh Tae’s face, curious about the intent behind such an absurd question.

That’s probably when Oh Tae switched the tiles. Jin Ja-gang realized his mistake when he saw Oh Tae smiling, but it was already too late.

Though it was a short time, it was enough for Oh Tae to switch tiles several times with his hand techniques.

It was a fresh experience.

When his martial arts were weak, Jin Ja-gang had used his head against stronger opponents. He had no choice.

But now that Jin Ja-gang had become stronger, those he faced were in Jin Ja-gang’s former position, using their heads.

“I need to be more meticulous, think and worry more.”

Now Jin Ja-gang had one more card called martial arts. If he added techniques that exploited opponents’ weaknesses to this martial arts, Jin Ja-gang would become much stronger than he was now.

“First, targeting the black market three days from now.”

Jin Ja-gang left the inn again in light clothing.

On the way here, he had seen various interesting plants. Those plants would probably be helpful at the next black market.

* * *

Three days later, the market opened.

During the day, it was an ordinary market. Daily necessities, various handicrafts, medicinal herbs, meat and hides from hunted animals appeared.

However, once that daytime market ended, from midnight it transformed into a completely different black market.

Instead of the bright-faced merchants from daytime, faces that had experienced all sorts of life’s hardships stood holding flags. Some were covered with scars, others had their faces covered.

Nothing was openly traded in the black market. People negotiated and traded based on the characters written on flags.

The character 乂 (cutting) meant accepting contracts for killing people and such.

The character 布 (cloth) meant money. It signified selling stolen goods or items.

The character 人 (person) meant manpower, or literally selling people. Since it included human flesh, it had a different meaning from assassination contracts.

目耳 (eyes and ears) came from 長目飛耳 (long sight flying ears), meaning sitting and seeing and hearing distant affairs, signifying finding desired information or locating people.

Holding these flags upside down meant seeking such services instead.

Jin Ja-gang passed through the street where the black market was open and headed to the gambling den where he had previously met Oh Tae. Unlike last time, the gambling den was already bustling with all sorts of shouts, cheers, and even women’s coquettish voices added to the commotion.

At the entrance, a giant with a build three heads taller than Jin Ja-gang blocked his path.

Jin Ja-gang looked up at the giant. The giant flinched but soon frowned and said.

“To enter the gambling den, it’s proper to show you have something to wager.”

The giant pointed to the side. Next to the gambling den entrance, an elderly scholar had piles of money and promissory notes on a simple table to be used instead of money.

“Inside, they use promissory notes instead of money. If you have something to exchange, change it for promissory notes.”

Jin Ja-gang took out a flag from his bosom.

It was the character 人 (person).

He held it upside down to show.

“Would this be enough? Or…”

He pointed to a flag with the character 乂 (cutting).

“I’m not sure which, but yes.”

The scholar quickly looked Jin Ja-gang up and down. Then he issued a ten thousand tael promissory note.

The scholar showed his sparse teeth and smiled.

“That’s the amount of bounty the Zhuge family put on your neck.”

He said “put on your neck,” not “put up for your neck.”

“Sign here.”

The scholar presented a ledger.

It recorded that Jin Ja-gang, Poison Dragon, had borrowed thirteen thousand taels from the money house.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the promissory note. It was a crude note. However, though crude, it was an actual promissory note used by real money houses. If not repaid, the authorities might step in or he could go to prison.

“Is the interest thirty percent?”

“We have to make a living too. It’s cheaper than elsewhere. If someone wants to buy you, they’ll pay us that amount. Of course, if you lose all your money at the gambling den before that, it becomes the amount you’ll have to repay us.”

“I understand.”

Only then did the giant step aside. Jin Ja-gang opened the door and entered the gambling den.

At a glance, over a hundred people were enjoying gambling.

Lively and noisy sounds greeted Jin Ja-gang.

The sharp scent of alcohol, the smell of sweat stained with tension and shouting, the musk scent from half-naked women’s bodies.

In this environment, it would be difficult to detect poison use.

* * *

Oh Tae was also watching Jin Ja-gang enter the gambling den.

The young men waited for Oh Tae’s orders.

“Leave him alone for now.”

Oh Tae decided to quietly observe what Jin Ja-gang would do.

Jin Ja-gang looked around the gambling den and went to watch what seemed like the easiest gambling table.

It was gambling with bone tiles processed into square shapes with dots and colors. The bone tiles had dots from one to ten carved on them, with five distributed to each person.

Then everyone took one from their opponent’s tiles.

After a predetermined number of turns, finally leaving only three bone tiles in front of oneself, the tiles were flipped and the dots added up, with the person getting the highest number winning.

Up to four people could play in one round, with one being the tile master from the gambling den and the other three being customers. In case of tied numbers, the tile master won.

After hearing the gambling explanation, Jin Ja-gang joined the game.

“Since I don’t know gambling well, I’ll just play one round and leave.”

Jin Ja-gang presented the ten thousand tael promissory note.

The tile master and two customers looked at Jin Ja-gang. Their faces turned pale.

It was actual ten thousand taels. Money that ordinary people couldn’t earn even working their entire lives.

This amount would be difficult even for decent medium-sized merchant groups to handle.

The two customers frowned and stood up.

“Ten thousand taels in a game worth dozens of taels.”

“He’s determined to break the game.”

Jin Ja-gang asked the tile master.

“Is it not allowed?”

The tile master looked back. Oh Tae, watching from the upper floor, nodded.

The tile master answered.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Word spread around that Jin Ja-gang had wagered ten thousand taels in one game. People who were gambling turned their attention to Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang held up the ten thousand tael promissory note and shouted.

“Isn’t there anyone who can win this ten thousand taels in one game?”

People stirred.

“It’s Poison Dragon.”

“If you win that money, you can control Poison Dragon?”

Then several people got up and approached.

“That’s getting interesting.”

“If you can use Poison Dragon for ten thousand taels, it’s a cheap price.”

A middle-aged man and an elderly woman sat next to Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll only play one round.”

“Bold. Good.”

The middle-aged man and elderly woman nodded to the tile master. The tile master flipped all the bone tiles to show the tiles, then turned them face down and began shuffling.

In this one decisive game, the losing money was ten thousand taels, the winning money thirty thousand taels.

People crowded around, interested in this big single-game showdown. With over a hundred pairs of eyes watching, it would be difficult to cheat even if they wanted to.

The tile master distributed the bone tiles.

Five bone tiles were placed in front of Jin Ja-gang as well. Jin Ja-gang picked up each bone tile to check them, then put them down.

The tile master, middle-aged man, and elderly woman also checked their tiles.

“In your turn, exchange once with whoever you want to exchange with. We’ll go through five total turns, and I’ll start first.”

The tile master took one from Jin Ja-gang’s bone tiles. The middle-aged man also took one from Jin Ja-gang’s tiles. The woman took one from the tile master’s.

Jin Ja-gang was missing two, so he took one from the woman’s to make four.

“Second turn.”

Again, everyone took one bone tile each. Only three remained in front of Jin Ja-gang.

Since you ultimately keep only three tiles regardless of how many you have, discarding the rest, it becomes advantageous if others don’t take many of your tiles.

Jin Ja-gang was being checked and continuously had only three remaining.

This was very disadvantageous because at the end, you couldn’t discard low-numbered tiles and had to flip all three you had.

However, even while being checked, Jin Ja-gang remained relaxed.

This was very contrasting compared to the tile master, middle-aged man, and elderly woman who were sweating and agonizing over each choice.

Finally, the fifth turn ended. Jin Ja-gang still had only three bone tiles in front of him, so he had nothing to discard. The tile master had four in front of him. The middle-aged man had five. The woman had as many as eight bone tiles.

While the tile master and middle-aged man were checking Jin Ja-gang, the woman had collected the most tiles.

“Oh no, cooked rice for the dog.”

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue. The woman had become most advantageous. The woman giggled and checked her tiles, discarding five bone tiles. The middle-aged man and tile master discarded two and one tiles respectively.

“Then let’s all check our tiles.”