Chapter 45: The Sandstorm Calls for Blood (2)

The old man whose deep wrinkles bore the marks of time was none other than Geum Gwan-cheon, the master of the Golden Horse Ranch.

He stood with arms spread wide, blocking Shim Ok's path.

"Who are you, young lady, to casually steal another man's horse?"

"I have no time to explain. Step aside."

"I cannot do that. The horse you are riding is the precious property of our ranch."

"I will compensate you later. The safety of Xinjiang is at stake. Please step aside."

"Ho!"

Geum Gwan-cheon looked at the shouting woman with an expression of disbelief.

Shim Ok reached into her bosom, intending to offer whatever money she had on hand. But she suddenly remembered that she had left all her belongings at Seocheon Mountain Villa. Her money was among them.

She was now completely penniless.

"Damn it!"

In the end, she abandoned any thought of payment and spurred the horse forward.

Even if it meant being branded a thief, she had no choice. Compensation could come later. That was how she reasoned it.

Shim Ok kicked the horse's flanks. The startled animal lunged forward.

"Whoa!"

Geum Gwan-cheon leapt aside in alarm. Had he been a fraction slower, the horse would have trampled him.

"Oh my…"

Geum Gwan-cheon managed to prop himself up and watch the retreating figures of Shim Ok and the horse.

"Catch the thief!"

The laborers mounted their horses in rapid succession.

Shim Ok's agile movements had revealed that she was a trained martial artist, but witnessing Geum Gwan-cheon's helpless state was more than they could bear.

More than anything, horses were their lifeblood. They could not simply stand by and watch one be stolen.

Meanwhile, Shim Ok riding the horse was torn between frustration and bewilderment. She had never dreamed she would be accused of horse theft.

She resented the laborers for not understanding, but now was not the time for explanations.

"I must reach the Central Plains…"

*Whoosh!*

Her words were cut short by a sharp, piercing sound from somewhere.

Shim Ok instinctively ducked her head.

*Thunk!*

By a narrow margin, the object grazed her hair and embedded itself in the ground.

The force in the shaft was so great that the fletching still trembled—it was an arrow. More than half of it had sunk into the earth.

"Where do you think you are going?"

A cold voice echoed across the ranch.

Despair flickered across Shim Ok's face.

*Already?*

She had hurried so desperately, yet they had caught up to her after all.

Parting the curtain of darkness, the warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa emerged. At their head was Jo Hyeol-san.

The arrow that had just flown had been loosed by Jo Hyeol-san himself. He handed the bow to a subordinate and advanced toward Shim Ok.

*Clip-clop!*

The sound of his horse's hooves rang out with unusual clarity.

A cold smile played on Jo Hyeol-san's lips.

"Seocheon Mountain Villa is not the kind of place you can enter and leave at your whim, Young Mistress."

"Urgh!"

"Thanks to you, our villa has suffered considerable damage. Rather than cause further harm, why not come with us quietly?"

"Not a chance. You think I will surrender so easily?"

"Tsk! Refusing a cup of wine in favor of a cup of poison."

"You never intended to offer the wine in the first place, did you?"

"At least, that is how the world will see it. There will be no witnesses anyway—what does it matter?"

"What happened to Heuk-no?"

"If you wish to know, come with us quietly."

Shim Ok shook her head.

"Do not be ridiculous."

"Tsk! You do not even care about the fate of your own subordinate? How cold."

Jo Hyeol-san clicked his tongue. His eyes gleamed with the cold of a serpent.

In his eyes, Shim Ok was nothing more than a pawn. She had not deviated a hair's breadth from his predictions.

Jo Hyeol-san signaled to his subordinates with a look.

"Escort the Young Mistress with all due courtesy. If we let her go like this, our villa's reputation will hit rock bottom."

"Yes, sir!"

The warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa stepped forward and surrounded Shim Ok.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Geum Gwan-cheon watched the sudden intrusion of armed men with a dazed expression.

Having spent decades in the horse trade, Geum Gwan-cheon had honed his ability to read people. He prided himself on having sharper insight than anyone.

In his eyes, Jo Hyeol-san and his warriors were nothing less than killers. The aura emanating from their bodies carried the heavy scent of blood.

It was the unique atmosphere possessed only by those who had stood atop countless corpses.

Laborers gathered around him. They too had instinctively sensed that the situation was turning dire.

"Master…"

"All of you, step back. Quietly!"

Geum Gwan-cheon issued calm orders to the laborers. But his inner state was far from the composure his exterior suggested.

"Hyah!"

In that instant, the warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa attacked Shim Ok.

Watching the warriors brandish their weapons with murderous intent, Geum Gwan-cheon felt his lips going dry.

He prayed that Jo Hyeol-san would not turn his attention to him and the laborers.

But contrary to Geum Gwan-cheon's desperate hopes, Jo Hyeol-san's gaze fell upon the laborers.

"Still, there are too many witnesses."

"We… we saw nothing."

Geum Gwan-cheon answered hastily. The laborers hurriedly bowed their heads and lowered their gazes.

The corners of Jo Hyeol-san's mouth curled upward.

"A keen sense of survival. You have certainly learned well from living long in this world."

"…"

"But what am I to do? I do not trust the word of men. Especially the promises of ignorant commoners—those I trust even less."

"Th-then…"

Jo Hyeol-san's gaze shifted to Shim Ok.

Shim Ok was surrounded by warriors, fighting desperately. Drenched in blood, her appearance was pitiable beyond words.

Though she was managing to hold on for now, she was so weakened that she could collapse at any moment. Jo Hyeol-san had no reason to concern himself with her.

Instead, his killing intent was directed at Geum Gwan-cheon and the ranch folk.

"Consider yourselves unlucky. That calamity chose to come here. That is simply how the world works. You think you can live well on your own, but it is never so. Your fate can be determined by the company you keep. You are such a case. If you wish to blame someone, blame the girl who brought this disaster upon you."

"We have committed no crime."

"I told you—whether you are guilty or not is irrelevant. You are not important enough for me to bother weighing your crimes before killing you. Tsk! How annoying. Having to answer the questions of ignorant commoners."

In that instant, several warriors behind Jo Hyeol-san drew their swords and stepped forward.

Geum Gwan-cheon screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone, run!"

"Aaah!"

The laborers panicked and fled. The warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa pursued them.

*Squelch!*

"Aagh!"

With each swing of their swords, laborers fell.

A vision of hell unfolded across the ranch in the blink of an eye.

Death came without warning to those who had been laughing and joking only a few hours before.

"W-why us?"

A laborer whose belly had been sliced open stared with eyes full of injustice.

He had lived honestly, without cutting corners. He had worked hard, and now that life was finally becoming bearable, to die like this was the cruelest injustice imaginable.

He wanted to live, but through the hands clutching his abdomen, his innards kept spilling out.

"Hhuk, hhuk! Stay inside. Please…"

The laborer tried to push his organs back in. But cruelly, they continued to flow out.

*Plop!*

His innards fell to the ground along with his blood.

"So unjust…"

Those were the last words he would ever speak.

"Dong-wol!"

An older laborer, upon witnessing his death, rushed over. The two had shared an especially deep bond. He could not bear to leave his companion's corpse unattended.

*Whoosh!*

"Aagh!"

But he could not reach the fallen laborer. Death had come for him first.

"How can this be? How is this possible…"

Geum Gwan-cheon's cheeks trembled. His eyes were so bloodshot that they seemed on the verge of weeping tears of blood.

People he had spent his entire life with were dying. The family business built over generations was crumbling.

Geum Gwan-cheon could neither understand nor accept the scene before him.

"How…"

At that moment…

"Grandfather!"

A young girl's scream pierced Geum Gwan-cheon's ears.

"S-So-hye?"

Geum Gwan-cheon instantly recognized the voice as belonging to his granddaughter, Geum So-hye.

He turned to see Geum So-hye standing with Geum Jung-gwang, watching the carnage.

Geum Gwan-cheon screamed until his throat was raw:

"Run! So-hye!"

"Grandfather!"

"Quickly!"

Geum Gwan-cheon's desperate cry rang out again. Only then did Geum Jung-gwang seize Geum So-hye's hand and turn to flee. But their running was too slow.

To Geum Gwan-cheon's eyes, they seemed agonizingly slow.

Two warriors of Seocheon Mountain Villa were sprinting toward them. In an instant, they would catch up.

Once those swords fell, their lives would be forfeit.

"How can this happen…"

"That is the way of the world. It is not how you live that matters, but which tide you ride. Unfortunately, the tide you have ridden ends here."

Jo Hyeol-san clicked his tongue and turned away.

Meanwhile, Shim Ok too had heard Geum Gwan-cheon's desperate cries. But she had neither the leisure nor the ability to save the ranch folk.

She could barely protect herself.

All of this had happened because she had come to the ranch.

*I cannot help it. I cannot help it either.*

Thick tears streamed down Shim Ok's cheeks.

She fought desperately with her martial arts while stealing glances at the Geum father and daughter.

*Whoosh!*

The swords of death were descending upon their backs.

Knowing that screams would soon follow, Shim Ok involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut.

*BOOM!*

In that instant, a thunderous sound shook the earth.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

*Scrape! Thud! Scrape! Thud!*

Mang-ryo had known when Jin Ja-gang first came to the mine.

Since he had been watching from a distance whenever the Stone Forest Gang warriors brought the children, he hadn’t missed Jin Ja-gang.

“I wondered why my eye was stinging today.”

Strangely, whenever something related to Jin Ja-gang occurred, the eye that had been blinded by Jin Ja-gang would sting, and his leg would start to ache. Sure enough…

Jin Ja-gang had appeared!

“It’s been about a month. The wait was worth it.”

Mang-ryo was overjoyed. He couldn’t help but be pleased that Jin Ja-gang had fallen into the trap he had set.

However, Mang-ryo didn’t reveal himself immediately. He barely suppressed the urge to rush out.

Just appear and kill him?

Of course, that would be good too.

But he wanted to watch a little longer. He wanted to see up close exactly how Jin Ja-gang planned to help them escape.

Since nothing had been found during the body search earlier, Jin Ja-gang had probably just come to scout today.

‘There’s plenty of time. This is just the beginning.’

Mang-ryo smiled as he rubbed his stinging eye.

He knew that as long as the Hundred Flower Valley prisoners were here, Jin Ja-gang would never leave alone.

However, he couldn’t let Jin Ja-gang act too leisurely either. Sometimes a slow horse needs to be whipped to make it move.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang spent several days coming and going, assessing the situation within the mine shaft.

According to Yun-ik, whose face was still swollen from the guard’s beating, there were twenty-one prisoners from the medicinal sects, including the survivors from Hundred Flower Valley, and about fifteen guards.

“Starting today, the workload has doubled,” Yun-ik said while receiving his food. “They won’t let us sleep until we finish our work, so people are collapsing every day. I don’t think we can hold out much longer like this.”

Jin Ja-gang was angry at the Stone Forest Gang’s harsh treatment.

Come to think of it, even the people from the Medicine King Sect were supposed to be sent to this mine shaft after enduring all sorts of torture, so it seemed silly to ask them to treat humans like humans in the first place.

“If you have a plan, you should implement it quickly. It seems they’re trying to work us to death.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Gong Ga-bok standing in line behind them. Gong Ga-bok was already so weak that the area under his eyes had turned dark. Not just Gong Ga-bok, but all the other prisoners showed visible signs of exhaustion.

Gong Ga-bok sighed through his toothless mouth and shook his head.

“You’re still too young, Ja-gang. Don’t burden yourself. If things don’t work out, at least you should survive.”

“If I was going to survive alone, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”

Yun-ik and Gong Ga-bok were startled by Jin Ja-gang’s tone. Though his voice was still young, his words carried a firmness that was difficult to attribute to a child. He was not the Jin Ja-gang they remembered.

With just brief conversations during food distribution, it was difficult for them to fully understand what Jin Ja-gang had been through.

Yun-ik looked at Jin Ja-gang and asked:

“Have you found a way?”

Jin Ja-gang shook his head. He had been thinking of ways to escape for days, but no matter how hard he tried, there was no quiet way for so many people to escape.

“Then…”

“We’ll go straight through.”

Yun-ik and Gong Ga-bok showed uneasy expressions at Jin Ja-gang’s words.

“We can’t fight them without weapons, with our internal energy blocked and shackles on our feet.”

“I’ll use poison. Please prepare something sharp and pointed. If I coat it with poison, it will be much easier to fight.”

“There are tools like pickaxes and shovels at the work site down in the mine shaft, but we can’t bring them during food distribution. But we can break stones to make sharp fragments.”

“That’s fine.”

“When will the poison be ready?”

“Tomorrow.”

Yun-ik and Gong Ga-bok looked at each other upon hearing it would be tomorrow. Though it seemed too rushed, if they were going for a frontal assault, Jin Ja-gang’s choice was correct.

The longer they delayed, the weaker the prisoners would become. It might be better to prepare for action as quickly as possible.

From Yun-ik and Gong Ga-bok’s perspective, it was surprising how Jin Ja-gang could make such a bold choice.

“Understood. I’ll tell the others.”

Jin Ja-gang, Yun-ik, and Gong Ga-bok exchanged determined looks.

Tomorrow, they would either leave the mine shaft as free people or die fighting.

* * *

Mang-ryo blinked his eyes.

That day, his left eye was stinging particularly badly, even before he got up in the morning.

It was a blind eye that couldn’t see, yet it only caused pain, which would be quite annoying for ordinary people.

But not for Mang-ryo.

The intensely throbbing eye was like the sixth sense of a wild beast.

‘So the boy is going to make his move today!’

Mang-ryo instinctively realized that today was the day Jin Ja-gang would act.

It was no time to be lying in bed.

Mang-ryo jumped up.

“He’s indeed different.”

Jin Ja-gang was decisive and bold in his movements.

It was just yesterday that they had decided to increase the workload. Someone else might have been more cautious and taken more time, and with each passing day, the prisoners’ strength would have continued to decline, making escape more difficult.

Mang-ryo immediately summoned a guard and gave orders.

“Today, conduct a more thorough body search than usual.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But even if you find something, pretend you don’t.”

“What?”

The guard found Mang-ryo’s words strange but didn’t question them further. After spending more than a month together, he knew Mang-ryo’s character was quite peculiar.

“Understood.”

Not long after, Jin Ja-gang and two other children arrived at the mine.

The guard searched the children’s bodies.

Mang-ryo watched from inside the makeshift dormitory in front of the mine, waiting for the guard’s signal. He didn’t want Jin Ja-gang to know he was there.

‘Now, let’s see what you’ve prepared.’

The guard conducted a thorough body search as Mang-ryo had ordered. They even had the children strip completely and shook out their clothes.

Then the guard gestured toward Mang-ryo, indicating that nothing had been found.

‘What?’

His eye was still throbbing. It was stinging so badly that blood was nearly dripping out.

‘That can’t be right. It must be today.’

Jin Ja-gang uses poison.

And quite a substantial amount at that.

Something should have been found on his body, whether it was a vial or a solid poison pill.

But there was nothing?

It felt suspicious no matter how he thought about it.

So Mang-ryo observed Jin Ja-gang cooking rice for a long time, but there was no sign of anything unusual.

‘Hmm, did I misunderstand?’

Mang-ryo sat on a low bench, thinking about what might have gone wrong. Was he too obsessed with Jin Ja-gang, as others had said?

‘That can’t be. This feeling…’

At that moment, a Stone Forest Gang warrior entered the makeshift dormitory.

“The Sect Leader is looking for you.”

“The Sect Leader? Will it take long?”

“He said it would be just a brief meeting.”

“Alright.”

Mang-ryo, still feeling uneasy, looked at Jin Ja-gang several more times. Only then could he bring himself to leave with heavy steps.

* * *

When Mang-ryo arrived at the Stone Forest Gang Sect Leader’s office, which was quite far from the mine, Sect Leader Jia Hei was sitting with an extremely elderly man, drinking tea.

The elderly man wore a simple robe with his hair neatly tied in a topknot, looking much like a village school teacher.

However, though the elderly man’s white hair and beard made him appear old, his eyes were much more piercing than Jia Hei’s.

“Ah, welcome, Elder Mang. This person here is…”

As Jia Hei was about to introduce him, the elderly man stopped him.

“It’s alright. We’re already acquainted.”

The elderly man spoke to Mang-ryo with a gentle voice.

“It’s been a while. I’ve heard the rumors. Tsk, tsk, I can see you’ve been through a lot.”

Mang-ryo’s hands gripping his crutches tightened. He had not expected to meet this person here at all.

How could he not recognize this elderly man!

Anyone affiliated with the poison sects would know him.

The leader of Poison Valley, the most powerful among the Five Great Poison Sects of Yunnan, and the greatest master of the Five Great Poison Sects.

Hundred Scents Wei Zong.

A master known for his mysterious poison technique that carries a hundred fragrances, with people dying whenever those fragrances emerge.

Wei Zong, a name recognized not just in Yunnan but throughout the martial world, had come to the Stone Forest Gang.

Why had he come to the Stone Forest Gang, and why had he called for Mang-ryo?

As Mang-ryo was lost in thought and didn’t respond, Hundred Scents Wei Zong smiled slightly.

Suddenly, a faint orchid scent wafted to Mang-ryo’s nose. His nose tingled as if bitten by an ant.

Mang-ryo was shocked and stared at Wei Zong with wide eyes.

“Hehehe. Why so surprised? You seemed distracted, so I played a little joke.”

He had used a mild poison to reprimand Mang-ryo’s rudeness, not intending to summon a killing move after specifically calling him.

Mang-ryo was angry but couldn’t express his anger, so he gritted his teeth. Though his internal energy had greatly increased, it was still not enough to face Wei Zong.

Barely suppressing his anger, Mang-ryo spoke in a hoarse, raspy voice.

“It’s been a long time. Why have you called for me?”

“You used to be quite talkative… Well, that’s fine. People can always change.”

Wei Zong nodded lightly to Jia Hei. Jia Hei spoke on Wei Zong’s behalf.

“You’ve worked hard managing the mine. From today, you no longer need to go to the mine.”

Mang-ryo was even more shocked than when he met Wei Zong. It was like having ashes thrown on a fully cooked meal. The boy was right in his grasp, and now they say this!

“How can you suddenly do this without even consulting me first!”

“Haha, well, you see…”

Wei Zong said.

“Actually, that’s why I came. The Extreme Poison Sect is also involved.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you said it was all done by one child? The massacre of the Extreme Poison Sect.”

“That’s right.”

“If you say so, then it must be so. I believe you. However, as you know, in our world… sometimes things that are far from the truth are accepted as facts. The Martial Arts Alliance believes that the Extreme Poison Sect’s tragedy was carried out by some mysterious force.”

“What does that have to do with the Stone Forest Gang…”

Mang-ryo had already anticipated this situation. But before he could ask what it had to do with Wei Zong coming to the Stone Forest Gang, he stopped speaking.

“No way…”

“Haha, you’re quite perceptive. I don’t understand why a talented person like you worked under someone as inadequate as Miao Ligoujao.”

Wei Zong continued with a slight smile.

“We support Great Hero Baek, and Great Hero Baek permits our Five Great Poison Sects to devour the medicinal sects of Yunnan. That was our deal. But now, people within the Martial Arts Alliance have started to investigate our arrangement.”

Mang-ryo unconsciously muttered:

“No…”

Wei Zong ignored Mang-ryo’s mutter and continued speaking.

“In such a situation, what would happen if there were many living witnesses who could directly prove our deal? After much discussion, Great Hero Baek and I have reached the same conclusion.”

Wei Zong dipped his finger in the tea and wrote two characters on the table.

Sweep Away

Mang-ryo’s face gradually distorted as he saw the two characters.

Wei Zong looked at Jia Hei and said:

“For such an important matter, it would be inappropriate to simply send a letter with instructions. I needed to come in person. I also needed to address the Stone Forest Gang’s efforts for the Yunnan poison sects and the matter of compensation for their losses. Don’t you agree?”

Stone Forest Gang Leader Jia Hei bowed his head slightly.

“I am merely grateful that Valley Leader Wei has shown such concern for even these minor details.”

“Not at all. Though we’ve gone from five to four, in this harsh world, we must help each other. The bond between Leader Jia and myself is no ordinary one, is it?”

“I’m deeply grateful.”

Mang-ryo almost cursed aloud.

What a load of nonsense!

But he couldn’t be so reckless in this situation. Wei Zong had just mentioned “compensation for the Stone Forest Gang’s losses.”

The meaning of those words…

“Wei Valley—!”

Just as Mang-ryo was about to call out to Wei Zong.

Rumble!

The room shook with a massive tremor. It was strong enough to make Mang-ryo, who was standing with crutches, stagger.

Wei Zong laughed loudly.

“I’ve always been a bit impatient. Hahaha!”