Chapter 67: The Blood Star Shines and All Hold Their Breath (2)

The one who had been sent tumbling across the floor and slammed into the wall was none other than Jang Hak-gyeong.

Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, and mouth.

"Uuugh!"

His lips quivered as though he were trying to speak, but instead of words, blood mixed with fragments of viscera trickled down his chin.

It had been a single blow.

Dam Ho's fist, arcing through the air in a graceful curve, had reduced Jang Hak-gyeong to utter helplessness. As though a battering ram had struck a fortress wall, Jang Hak-gyeong's body had shattered in the same manner.

"…!"

In that instant, a suffocating silence descended upon the hall.

It was a scene none had anticipated. No one had imagined that such reckless violence would be committed before so many witnesses—not Jo Gyeong-ui, not even Lee Sin-pung, the master of Hongam Mountain Villa.

"Y-you madman!"

Those were the words that spilled from Mo Jung-hyeon's lips. They spoke for everyone present.

Jo Gyeong-ui pointed a trembling finger at Dam Ho.

"You—you—?"

"What?"

"Do you have any idea what you've just done? How dare you commit murder in Hongam Mountain Villa!"

"And so?"

"Can you bear the consequences of this?"

"Why should I concern myself with consequences?"

"Do you not possess a single thought in that head of yours? You—!"

"I'll tell you what. I don't think about consequences. When the situation calls for killing, I think only of killing. How to kill most efficiently. And how to kill most quickly."

Dam Ho's chilling voice burrowed into the ears of everyone surrounding the guest quarters. As though he were whispering directly into their ears, the sound made their bodies shudder.

Dam Ho's gaze settled on Mo Jung-hyeon.

"I will shatter every one of your lying teeth and rip out your tongue."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"Stop me if you can."

Dam Ho walked toward Mo Jung-hyeon. Unlike before, his gait was slightly uneven—he dragged one leg and planted the other.

Everyone saw it. But not one of them mocked him. The scene he had just demonstrated was far too shocking.

"Nngh! Stay away!"

At the sight of Dam Ho approaching with his limping stride, Mo Jung-hyeon recoiled in horror. Gone was the imposing demeanor of Unyang Martial Academy's chief instructor.

His face was drained of color, and his body shook without restraint. In his eyes, Dam Ho was no longer human.

He turned to the Unyang Martial Academy martial artists who had followed Jo Gyeong-ui and screamed.

"St-stop him! Stop that man!"

The Unyang Martial artists looked to Jo Gyeong-ui.

Jo Gyeong-ui's expression was twisted with fury. He had not anticipated that Dam Ho would be so reckless.

Dam Ho was far stronger and more ruthless than he had imagined. Even now, Dam Ho was closing in on Mo Jung-hyeon. The time had come to make a decision.

"Stop him!"

At Jo Gyeong-ui's command, the Unyang Martial Academy martial artists charged at Dam Ho. And Jo Gyeong-ui moved as well.

*Shing!*

In his hand was the Azure Moon Sword.

The treasure blade that Lee Sin-pung had wielded in his youth—said to cut through anything, to sever any life—flew toward Dam Ho.

With the Azure Moon Sword in hand, his courage redoubled. Though momentarily suppressed by Dam Ho's presence, Jo Gyeong-ui believed in the Azure Moon Sword and in his own martial arts, honed over more than a decade.

*'There's nothing to fear. He's only human.'*

*Swish!*

The Azure Moon Sword streaked toward Dam Ho's neck. The thought of uncovering the truth had long since vanished. The only thought dominating his mind was that Dam Ho must die.

The Unyang Martial Academy martial artists attacked Dam Ho. The martial arts that had built the modern Unyang Martial Academy unfolded in their hands.

*Whoooosh!*

A wave of sword energy surged toward Dam Ho. These were flawless techniques, the likes of which they could not display even in routine practice—worthy of lavish praise if demonstrated during training.

But their opponent was Dam Ho.

*BOOM!*

The instant a fearsome light blazed in Dam Ho's eyes, a thunderous roar erupted. Simultaneously, the martial artists who had attacked Dam Ho were flung in every direction like scraps of meat.

Before they could even process what had happened, Dam Ho's hand was already reaching for the Azure Moon Sword.

"You madman!"

Jo Gyeong-ui cried out in triumph and channeled his power into the Azure Moon Sword. He intended to sever Dam Ho's wrist then and there.

*Clang!*

But the Azure Moon Sword could advance no further. It had been caught in Dam Ho's hand.

The blade that could not be stopped by anything—held fast in Dam Ho's grip. Using the Five Finger Rock-Breaking Technique, no direct impact reached Dam Ho's hand, but Jo Gyeong-ui could not possibly know this.

Jo Gyeong-ui felt as though his heart would burst from his mouth.

"H-how—?"

Dam Ho did not answer. With his other hand, he struck the blade of the Azure Moon Sword.

It was the Fortress Breaking Strike.

*CLANG!*

With a sharp metallic ring, the Azure Moon Sword snapped in two. The broken blade spun through the air with terrifying speed.

Jo Gyeong-ui stared blankly. The sight was so shocking it did not feel real.

Dam Ho extended his hand. The broken fragment of the Azure Moon Sword was already in his grasp.

*Thud!*

Dam Ho drove the broken blade into Jo Gyeong-ui's forehead. Jo Gyeong-ui's body toppled backward like a felled tree.

"S-Senior Brother!"

At the unbelievable sight, Mo Jung-hyeon screamed.

In that instant, Dam Ho vaulted over Jo Gyeong-ui's collapsing body and surged toward him.

The black leather robe billowing, the tangled black hair, and the black eyes glinting between—this was precisely how the Reaper would appear, if such a being existed.

"D-don't come!"

Mo Jung-hyeon unleashed his martial art at Dam Ho.

Iron Cannon Chain—a technique in which he concentrated all his power into a single strike, as though launching a cannonball of iron.

*BOOM!*

Dam Ho's Fortress Breaking Strike collided with the Iron Cannon Chain.

*CRACK!*

"AAAARGH!"

In that instant, Mo Jung-hyeon's right arm, which had met Dam Ho's fist, was completely destroyed.

Agape in agony, Mo Jung-hyeon's mouth hung open. In the next moment, Dam Ho's fist struck his mouth. Every one of his teeth shattered.

Mo Jung-hyeon's face was instantly painted crimson with blood. But the pain was not yet over.

Dam Ho's rough hand forced its way through his lips, seized his tongue, and tore it out.

*Rrrip!*

Mo Jung-hyeon could not even scream. He tumbled to the floor, blood gushing from his mouth like a fountain where his tongue had been torn out by the roots.

Mo Jung-hyeon curled into a fetal position, his body quivering violently. Dam Ho looked down at him with indifference.

Dam Ho's breathing had not even quickened. His composure was terror itself.

Mo Jung-hyeon reached out, trying to grasp Dam Ho. But his hand merely flailed in empty air before falling lifelessly to the ground.

"Uuugh!"

Mo Jung-hyeon drew one final, shuddering breath. It was the last action he would ever take.

Dam Ho tossed Mo Jung-hyeon's severed tongue to the ground.

"Gasp!"

Muffled groans erupted from all around.

Only now did they recall Dam Ho's words. He had said he would shatter every one of his lying teeth and rip out his tongue. And just as he had said, Mo Jung-hyeon had lost every tooth and had his tongue torn out before dying.

The entire sequence of events had occurred so swiftly that no one could react. That included Lee Sin-pung, the master of Hongam Mountain Villa.

Before he could even decide on a course of action, the events had unfolded, and before his very eyes, Jo Gyeong-ui—who had just been gifted the Azure Moon Sword—lay dead.

He should have punished Dam Ho and restored his authority. But Lee Sin-pung could not bring himself to step forward.

It was as though a great beast stood before him. Those pitch-black eyes blazed with killing intent, and those white teeth were sharp enough to tear out his throat.

Dam Ho's dark pupils turned toward Lee Sin-pung.

"Hmm!"

Lee Sin-pung grimaced.

His breath had been knocked from him.

Though he was a veteran of the martial world, he had never seen a gaze as murderous as Dam Ho's. It felt as though, if provoked even slightly, the creature would bare its fearsome fangs and charge.

Dam Ho stared at Lee Sin-pung unblinkingly. Lee Sin-pung had to respond in some fashion.

Having gathered his thoughts, Lee Sin-pung finally spoke.

"To think you would cause such a disturbance in Hongam Mountain Villa. Your audacity knows no bounds."

His voice carried a heavy weight—the will of the master of Hongam Mountain Villa to maintain his dignity.

An ordinary martial artist would have been cowed by Lee Sin-pung's imposing presence. But Dam Ho was no ordinary martial artist.

He did not so much as blink as he regarded Lee Sin-pung. At this, Lee Sin-pung's expression shifted slightly.

"Regardless of the reason, murder within Hongam Mountain Villa is an unforgivable offense. If you surrender peacefully, I promise a fair investigation."

"A fair investigation, you say?"

"I stake my name, Lee Sin-pung, on this promise. No matter who you are or where you come from, you will suffer no injustice."

Lee Sin-pung's words, at first hearing, sounded entirely reasonable. His standing in Gansu Province was formidable, and with his guarantee, no one would easily object.

Lee Sin-pung believed Dam Ho would accept his proposal. Though his martial arts appeared strong, the martial world was not a simple realm governed by martial prowess alone.

Lee Sin-pung had hundreds of martial artists at Hongam Mountain Villa, and over a thousand who had attended the birthday celebration. There was no reason to fear Dam Ho. He believed Dam Ho would comply.

"Nonsense!"

But the answer he received from Dam Ho far exceeded his expectations.

"What did you say?"

"Didn't you hear? I said nonsense."

"How dare you!"

Rage suffused Lee Sin-pung's face. Though called a great hero, Dam Ho's words were impossible to endure.

"You seem to be intoxicated by your modest martial prowess, but your arts will not work on me. You would do well to surrender peacefully."

The martial artists of Hongam Mountain Villa arrayed themselves behind Lee Sin-pung. Though they numbered only thirty, they radiated a murderous aura. These were the Blood Flower Corps—men who served directly under the Sect Master.

Their mission was to hunt down and punish anyone who harmed Hongam Mountain Villa, to the very ends of the earth. They possessed formidable martial arts and extraordinary loyalty to Lee Sin-pung. Given the order, they would charge at Dam Ho without hesitation.

With the Blood Flower Corps at his back, a satisfied smile settled on Lee Sin-pung's face. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and regarded Dam Ho.

"The choice is yours."

"…?"

"I would hate for you to make a choice you'll regret. I say this in earnest."

"Is today your birthday?"

"What?"

"If you wish to enter your coffin on the day you were born, I will grant that wish."

In that instant, a dreadful silence fell upon the hall.

Jin Ja-gang’s face briefly hardened, but it soon relaxed.

Instead, a bitter smile formed on his lips.

While eating his meal, Jin Ja-gang drank all the remaining liquor.

A slight buzz came over him.

However, with a body immune to poison, could alcohol truly intoxicate Jin Ja-gang?

It merely made his head feel a bit heavy and lifted his mood slightly. Even that faded quickly as time passed.

Seeing that Jin Ja-gang had finished the liquor and remained unaffected, the merchants spoke to him.

“Young friend, you’re quite a drinker. Would you like to join us over here for a drink?”

Jin Ja-gang wasn’t accustomed to mingling with others.

“No, thank you.”

“Then have another bottle. Hey, waiter! Bring another bottle for this young man over there.”

The merchants ordered another bottle of liquor for him.

The waiter brought the liquor to Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang expressed his gratitude to the merchants and accepted the drink. However, with the second bottle, the buzz was even less than before, and it dissipated faster than it had come.

Finding the taste of the liquor lacking, Jin Ja-gang smacked his lips.

Even so, after finishing all the liquor, Jin Ja-gang called the waiter over. Then, he ordered another serving of the Sichuan Boiled Beef he had just eaten.

When the waiter brought the Sichuan Boiled Beef, Jin Ja-gang took out not a silver coin but a gold piece and handed it to the waiter.

“This is a token of appreciation for your kind explanations earlier.”

“Is, is this real gold?”

It was a piece of gold taken from the Stone Forest Gang.

“Yes, it is.”

The waiter, in disbelief, even bit the gold piece with his teeth to test it.

While the waiter’s eyes widened in astonishment at the gold piece, Jin Ja-gang personally carried the Sichuan Boiled Beef over to the merchants’ table.

“It’s a modest gesture of my gratitude.”

The merchants looked at Jin Ja-gang with puzzled expressions as he approached, but soon burst into hearty laughter.

Jin Ja-gang politely placed the Sichuan Boiled Beef on the merchants’ table.

“Ha, no need for something like this.”

“Young friend, you’re quite courteous.”

“We’ll enjoy it.”

The three merchants, their faces flushed from moderate drinking, made a fuss and expressed their delight.

“I’ll take my leave then.”

Jin Ja-gang even paid for the meal and went up to his room on the second floor.

Sitting on the bed, he quietly gazed outside. It was dark and silent.

Since this inn was a stopover for travelers, there were hardly any people around outside.

Jin Ja-gang wiped the blood droplet from his little finger and silently sipped tea while looking out the window.

And he waited.

About an hour or two passed.

Thud, thud.

It was a faint sound, one that could only be noticed if one listened carefully. It came from downstairs.

Without hesitation, Jin Ja-gang stood up from his seat.

He opened the door and went downstairs.

“Hey, hey! What’s wrong with you all? Snap out of it!”

Someone was shouting.

The three merchants from earlier and the waiter were collapsed on the floor.

A plump man, who seemed to be the innkeeper and cook, was panicking and trying to wake them up.

Upon seeing Jin Ja-gang, the man’s eyes widened in shock.

“Wha, how!”

His face looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Jin Ja-gang surveyed the scene expressionlessly. The merchants and the waiter were trembling, frothing at the mouth.

“Urk, ugh!”

They were poisoned.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the cook and asked.

“Is it strange that I’m fine?”

The cook was too shocked to speak.

“Th-that’s…”

“Seeing how surprised you are, it seems you were involved as well.”

When Jin Ja-gang drank the liquor sent by the merchants, he had already noticed that it contained poison.

However, he didn’t reveal his emotions right away because he needed to confirm whether the cook in the kitchen was part of their scheme.

While drinking the liquor, Jin Ja-gang had isolated and retained the toxic energy within it.

Later, he transferred that poison onto the Sichuan Boiled Beef he brought to the merchants and the gold piece he gave to the waiter.

The merchants, unaware, ate the Sichuan Boiled Beef and were poisoned, and the waiter was poisoned while biting the gold piece to test it.

Yet, they had no idea how they had been poisoned.

The cook prostrated himself and begged.

“Please spare me! I didn’t know you were a master of the martial world, and we made a grave mistake!”

From the cook’s perspective, there was no way to know how Jin Ja-gang had poisoned them.

Moreover, having drunk two bottles of liquor laced with a paralyzing poison and showing no signs of being affected, remaining so calm, it was no wonder the cook thought of Jin Ja-gang as a master.

However, listening to someone who had poisoned food and called it a mistake, Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

“Did you say it was a mistake? Do you mean attempting to harm someone?”

The cook frantically waved his hands and quickly made excuses.

“It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! We only intended to steal a little money…”

“How am I to know whether you intended to steal money or to kill?”

“We’re not the kind of people who kill indiscriminately. How could we, running a small inn like this, commit such a horrific act? The drug we used on you, great hero, was just meant to paralyze temporarily.”

“Is that so?”

Jin Ja-gang listened to the cook’s words seriously.

Seizing the moment, the cook spoke in a tone full of grievance.

“Please, have pity on these wretched lives and show mercy…”

While listening to the cook’s plea, Jin Ja-gang suddenly walked over to the collapsed merchants.

Then, he searched one of the merchants’ bodies and pulled out a hidden dagger from their chest.

The cook’s face turned pale.

“That’s…”

Jin Ja-gang had to use everything around him to survive, and as a result, his observational skills had sharpened.

When he had brought the Sichuan Boiled Beef to the merchants, he had noticed one of them instinctively reaching into their chest to grip the dagger.

The cook quickly made an excuse.

“That’s just something they carry for self-defense because the world is so dangerous.”

“I see.”

I see?

Depending on how one interpreted it, it could sound like forgiveness or simply indifference.

While the cook was puzzled by Jin Ja-gang’s ambiguous words, Jin Ja-gang took the dagger and suddenly walked toward the kitchen.

The cook’s eyes narrowed. It was just as the waiter had said earlier.

He’s limping!

The cook glanced at the back door.

If he ran with all his might, he could reach the door immediately. He was quite confident in his lightness skill, so he might be able to escape faster than the limping Jin Ja-gang.

But could he really escape unscathed? Was this man truly not a master? Was he not pretending?

While the cook fidgeted nervously, he inadvertently looked at Jin Ja-gang and felt a chill run down his spine.

Jin Ja-gang was staring straight at him.

It was as if his gaze was saying, “Why did you hesitate to run? If you had run, I could have had a reason to kill you…”

“I-I’m coming.”

The cook hurriedly followed Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang entered the kitchen, surveyed the interior, and headed to the hearth. He took the dagger and thrust it between the charcoal embers in the hearth.

Unable to understand what he was doing, the cook felt as if his body was shrinking in fear.

After inserting the dagger into the charcoal, Jin Ja-gang rummaged through various seasonings, sniffing them.

Then, he picked up a small container.

“Is this High Vinegar?”

High Vinegar is used to add sourness to dishes.

“Then I’ve found the right thing.”

Jin Ja-gang pulled the dagger out of the charcoal. Its tip was glowing red-hot.

The cook flinched and recoiled. Unfazed by the cook’s reaction, Jin Ja-gang poured the High Vinegar onto the dagger.

Sizzle!

A cloud of acrid smoke and a sour smell filled the air.

“Cough, cough.”

The cook coughed and waved his hands to clear the smoke.

When he looked ahead, he saw Jin Ja-gang staring down at the dagger!

But the color of the dagger was strange.

There were reddish stains on it, like blotches.

“Huh?”

The cook’s eyes distorted.

An inexplicable sense of unease.

The cook cautiously moved his hand behind his back, gripping the handle of a square cleaver.

If push came to shove, he had no choice but to use the blade.

The cook asked carefully.

“Uh… what are those… stains…?”

“Bloodstains.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes grew colder as he looked at the stains.

“Huh?”

“When you heat a weapon and pour High Vinegar on it, even old bloodstains will leave traces.”

Jin Ja-gang flipped the dagger over to examine it.

“The intensity of the stains varies. It seems this dagger has been stained with blood more than once or twice.”

The cook’s face contorted.

It was only natural for bloodstains to appear on the dagger. And it was true that the intensity of the stains varied. After all, he had stabbed and killed several people with that dagger. If one checked the other blades they carried, they would likely show similar bloodstains.

All the excuses he had made up until now had been complete lies.

Jin Ja-gang slowly turned his head and looked directly at the cook.

The cook swallowed hard.

Sweat beaded on his forehead from the tension.

His back became drenched.

Jin Ja-gang stared at the cook silently for a moment before finally opening his mouth to ask.

“Who are you people?”

Jin Ja-gang’s voice carried a thick sense of death.

The cook felt chills run down his spine. He could no longer endure this uncomfortable moment.

Gritting his teeth, he drew the cleaver.

If he was going to die anyway, shouldn’t he at least try to fight before dying?

“Argh! Die!”

The cook swung the cleaver down as if to split Jin Ja-gang’s head in half.

Jin Ja-gang was not caught off guard at all. The moment murderous intent flashed in the cook’s eyes, he drew a wisp of energy through his Baihui acupoint and channeled it into his legs.

He executed a footwork technique, twisting his body as if staggering.

Thwack!

The thick cleaver embedded itself into a cutting board. The force was so great that half the blade sank into the board.

Jin Ja-gang splashed High Vinegar into the cook’s face. As the High Vinegar got into his eyes, the cook screamed while rubbing them.

“Uwaaah!”

The cook let go of the cleaver’s handle and flailed his legs forward wildly.

Tables and cooking utensils were sent flying in all directions by the cook’s kicks.

However, the cook soon felt a sharp, aching pain in his back.

It was as if he was being burned by fire…

No, it was indeed because he had been stabbed in the back with the heated dagger.

He could also feel the hot dagger being pulled out of his back.

“Urk!”

As the cook staggered and lost his balance, a searing pain struck his chest this time.

Sizzle!

The cook shed tears as he smelled the scent of burning flesh from the dagger embedded in his chest.

Jin Ja-gang’s cold voice came from right beside him.

“It’s a pity. The food was delicious.”

The cook felt anger rising within him.

If he was going to say something like that, why not just spare him!

But the cook couldn’t properly voice his protest.

Staggering backward, the cook collapsed. His clothes were quickly soaked with blood.

“Urk…”