Chapter 219

“How long is the Soul Seizing Thread?”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

Tang Ha-ran answered curtly.

“Very long. If stretched to the maximum, it would be nearly one hundred chi.”

Jin Ja-gang thought for a moment and said.

“That would be a bit short.”

“Then I’m the strange one for saying it’s long. What exactly are you planning to use it for?”

“To tie up the prisoners. Originally I was thinking of using poison, but the Soul Seizing Thread seems more suitable.”

“Even that’s not enough?”

“I think it would work if we gather the prisoners in the room on the first underground level closest to the stairs. Will you help me?”

“Hmph. Fine.”

Tang Ha-ran was puzzled about what Jin Ja-gang was doing. Earlier he had brought prisoners and sent them outside, and now he wanted to gather them in one place?

But since she was still a bit sulky about Jin Ja-gang not properly answering her earlier question, Tang Ha-ran didn’t ask more and just pouted.

Soon Jin Ja-gang went to other cells, opened doors, and brought prisoners up one by one. Then he put all the prisoners he had brought into the guard room right in front of the stairs leading up from the first underground level.

Surprisingly, the prisoners didn’t resist.

Even though they hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time and had their martial arts sealed so they couldn’t exert much strength, it was strange how compliant they were.

Tang Ha-ran, who had been standing guard in case anyone tried to escape, felt rather embarrassed.

Tang Ha-ran looked at Jin Ja-gang and the prisoners with curious eyes.

Before long, Jin Ja-gang had brought twenty-four prisoners from the underground prison. Of course, that was almost all of them.

Jin Ja-gang gathered them in one room and said.

“As I told you, I plan to use you all to get out of this place. However, you cannot leave.”

The prisoners silently listened to Jin Ja-gang’s words and nodded.

After waiting a moment, Jin Ja-gang said.

“There’s still no answer. One more person needs to go. Who will go?”

Among those in the room, one middle-aged man stood up.

“I’ll go.”

“Hold your breath and run.”

Jin Ja-gang opened the door leading to the surface of the Jeol-ok prison.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath with a tense face, then said to Jin Ja-gang.

“As promised, kill the King of Hell.”

Hearing those words, one of the prisoners chuckled.

“If he was someone who could kill the King of Hell, he would have died long ago.”

It was a brief but meaningful statement.

Another prisoner said in a hoarse voice.

“I’d be satisfied just seeing the King of Hell’s nose get flattened with one punch. I can stake my life for that.”

But Jin Ja-gang wasn’t intimidated at all.

“I will definitely kill the King of Hell.”

It wasn’t even a promise to do his best, just a simple statement that he would kill him, yet it carried tremendous weight.

The prisoners said.

“We’ll wait alive until then.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

“I’ll keep my promise.”

Soon the middle-aged man ran out.

Jin Ja-gang closed the door again, and a pitying light flashed in his eyes.

Tang Ha-ran saw Jin Ja-gang’s expression and realized he was carrying a burden in his heart.

“You… what happened during all this time? Why are they listening to your words?”

Jin Ja-gang spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.

“Before entering the prison, I happened to hear the guards talking about the prisoners.”

“They are…”

“I know. They are people who were captured for going against the Tang family’s will.”

“That’s right.”

Since Tang Ha-ran was also a member of the Tang family, she knew about the prisoners held in the prison. Among them were those who had been captured so unjustly that even Tang Ha-ran found it difficult to speak about openly.

Tang Ha-ran quietly looked at Jin Ja-gang. It was difficult to speak first, so she waited for Jin Ja-gang to continue.

Jin Ja-gang continued.

“So while I was in here, I listened to their stories.”

Jin Ja-gang said no more and just smiled calmly.

Tang Ha-ran felt a surge of emotion.

“Foolishly.”

When Jin Ja-gang said he listened to their stories, it didn’t simply mean he just listened. It meant Jin Ja-gang had listened to their stories and taken on the weight of their circumstances.

Hadn’t Jin Ja-gang told them earlier? That he would keep his promise.

Jin Ja-gang had decided to take on additional burdens equal to the weight of those prisoners’ stories in order to save Tang Ha-ran.

How could that be easy? To bear the greatest resentments that each person had carried through their lives.

Tang Ha-ran couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

She felt that she had contributed somewhat to the weight Jin Ja-gang was carrying.

Tang Ha-ran finally felt ashamed of her past self. But at that time, she had thought it was justice. She could do anything for the Tang family and thought it was natural.

But now it was different.

‘Why… did I suddenly start having feelings of denying all those things after meeting this man?’

Tang Ha-ran hoped that Jin Ja-gang would definitely escape. But this time more earnestly than ever before.

And she thought she wanted to share and carry that burden together going forward.

It wouldn’t be easy, but even if it meant betraying the family that had given birth to and raised her.

Tang Ha-ran’s sulky feelings melted away like snow.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“Please take me and escape. If you fail, come back for me later.”

For some reason, Jin Ja-gang found those words extremely joyful to hear.

“I promise. But we’ll be able to leave this place together.”

“Are you confident?”

Jin Ja-gang thought for a moment before answering.

“Someone I know once said this to me. The world is entangled with countless interests, so to survive within it, you must make very complex and political judgments.”

Tang Ha-ran agreed.

“That’s exactly what my grandfather is like. He weighs the gains and losses in every matter, and depending on the situation, for greater profit…”

Tang Ha-ran paused and smiled bitterly.

“A person who can use even family members as tools. A person who can abandon even a beloved granddaughter. For grandfather, all judgments and actions are means he can use. That is grandfather’s sword.”

Tang Ha-ran looked at Jin Ja-gang while speaking.

“Can you withstand that sword?”

Jin Ja-gang nodded while looking into Tang Ha-ran’s eyes that held sadness.

“Probably today, the King of Hell will see his own sword flying toward him.”

Determination was embedded in Jin Ja-gang’s voice.

“I will borrow the King of Hell’s sword to strike the King of Hell.”

Only then did Tang Ha-ran realize how Jin Ja-gang planned to escape and was quite surprised.

Borrowing a blade to kill with a blade.

Literally meaning to borrow a sword and strike the sword’s owner himself!

* * *

Tang Qing appeared in front of the underground prison.

Following him, even Family Head Lady Plum Blossoms Tang Gui-ok came to the underground prison, carried on the shoulders of warriors while sitting in her chair.

[TL Note – Fixed the Tang Family Head’s nickname from Li Hua to Plum Blossoms.]

All Tang family warriors bowed their heads to show respect to Tang Qing and Tang Gui-ok.

Tang Gui-ok gestured for them to raise their heads, and Tang Qing commanded.

“Bring him!”

The warriors brought the prisoner who had been poisoned and receiving treatment before Tang Qing and Tang Gui-ok.

When the prisoner stood stiffly before Tang Qing, the warriors forced him to kneel. The naked and emaciated prisoner glared at Tang Qing and Tang Gui-ok.

He wanted to spit, but it wouldn’t reach them anyway.

Tang Qing squinted his eyes.

“Right. I remember you, bastard. You used your considerable reputation in Chongqing to gather forces and systematically interfere with our family’s activities. You were the sect leader of the Great Heaven Sect, wasn’t it?”

The prisoner answered in a hoarse voice.

“That is correct.”

“It’s been about five years since you entered the prison. Have your thoughts changed now?”

Won-nyeong, the sect leader of Great Heaven Sect, didn’t answer.

Tang Qing asked again.

“What is the situation in the prison? Tell me.”

Won-nyeong sneered.

“Why ask me about Tang family affairs? I was just brought out because a guard sent me out. As I said before, the guard left me no message.”

Tang Gui-ok said.

“If you cooperate, we’ll release the children who were captured as mining slaves. Think carefully. What was the atmosphere like inside the prison? Was there anything strange?”

Won-nyeong was startled. A light of conflict appeared in his eyes. After thinking for a moment, Won-nyeong spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“There was something strange. The guard gathered all of us into one room on the first underground level, and a young woman in wedding clothes was watching us.”

After finishing his words, Won-nyeong looked back and forth between Tang Qing and Tang Gui-ok. It meant to repay him since they had made a deal. From this, it seemed there was nothing more to extract from Won-nyeong.

“Elder brother?”

At Tang Gui-ok’s words, Tang Qing nodded his permission.

“Keep this one separately confined and release his family members.”

At Tang Qing’s command, one of the scholars behind immediately wrote a pardon document and took it to Tang Gui-ok for approval.

Tang Gui-ok said.

“It seems Ha-ran’s heart has completely turned away.”

Tang Qing seemed to think for a moment, then muttered.

“That’s right. Those insolent things…”

“Shall we go in and hear what they were thinking when they caused this trouble?”

“Yes.”

Tang Qing moved his mouth.

“That fellow is probably waiting for us to call him too.”

Tang Gui-ok gestured backward.

Tang Sang-yul, the head of the Soul Seizing Chamber, approached.

Tang Sang-yul was one of the most successful people in the Tang family. At the young age of forty-eight, he had gained Tang Gui-ok’s favor and risen to the position of leading four hundred warriors across three pavilions and five groups.

Naturally, he possessed martial arts befitting that position. He was at a level to stand shoulder to shoulder with masters from the ten great sects.

“Call them.”

Tang Sang-yul bowed his head.

Tang Sang-yul walked forward with heavy steps. Then he kicked the ground with his foot, walking around here and there before taking his position.

After positioning himself, Tang Sang-yul raised his internal energy. His clothes greatly swelled up and fluttered even without wind. The swollen clothes gradually settled down.

And at some moment, Tang Sang-yul very slightly lifted his right foot while standing, then stepped on the ground while applying force.

“Hu-eup!”

With Tang Sang-yul’s battle cry.

Rummmmmble…

Dust rising from the ground where Tang Sang-yul stood spread out in concentric circles, instantly extending outward.

Tang Sang-yul stomped his foot again.

Rummmmmble!

* * *

Thud!

The ceiling of the underground prison shook.

Once that rumbling started, it grew larger and began shaking the entire underground Jeol-ok prison.

Ru… ummmble!

The underground Jeol-ok prison shook as if there was an earthquake.

Ruuuummmble!

Psss ss ss.

Stone dust even fell from the ceiling. It seemed like the entire underground Jeol-ok prison might collapse if this continued.

Jin Ja-gang had been waiting with the prisoners crowded into one cell near the entrance of the underground Jeol-ok prison.

When the entire underground prison rumbled, the prisoners in the cell showed anxious expressions.

Jin Ja-gang also looked up.

“It seems those we’ve been waiting for have finally arrived.”