Chapter 285

The man screamed as if crying.

“I answered everything you asked, why…!”

“I’m grateful for that.”

Jin Ja-gang bit his molars tight and put internal energy into the Soul Seizing Thread, pulling it. The Soul Seizing Thread was pulled through the man’s body.

Thud.

His neck and fingers were severed and rolled on the ground.

Black Scale Blade spat blood and looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“Are you planning to kill all of us?”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Ten years ago, did you participate in the bloodshed between the Poison Sect and Medicine Sect?”

Black Scale Blade smiled bloodily.

“I did. I bathed in the blood of Medicine Sect bastards. I’d never been so excited in my life.”

“The Iron Umbrella Sect leader said that the Poison Sect attacking the Medicine Sect was unavoidable. Do you know anything about that?”

“No. Such things are commonplace in the martial world. The strong live and the weak die. Iron Umbrella Sect was a frontier sect in Yunnan, what power could it have had? If they wanted to live, they had to do as ordered.”

“Who gave the orders?”

Black Scale Blade spat bloody saliva and cursed.

“Go to hell and find out, you murderer. Do you think I’ll say even one word to the bastard who killed my sworn brother?”

“Who is your sworn brother?”

“The Iron Umbrella Sect leader.”

Jin Ja-gang walked toward Black Scale Blade.

“You don’t know which force was behind him?”

“Don’t waste your effort. Even if you pull out my fingers and slice my feet, you won’t hear a single word from my mouth.”

“If you knew who it was, you couldn’t have waited here with that level of skill.”

Black Scale Blade’s face contorted.

“Don’t look down on me. Do you know who I am!”

Jin Ja-gang looked directly at Black Scale Blade and said.

“I’ll say it again, even if you know who it is, you cannot take revenge. You will not leave this place alive.”

Black Scale Blade’s face contorted to the extreme at Jin Ja-gang’s chilling words.

“So what are you saying?”

“If you’re bitter about being used and abandoned, I’ll continue in your place.”

Black Scale Blade raised his internal energy and shouted.

“Stop your nonsense!”

Black Scale Blade pulled out his embedded cleaver and threw it at Jin Ja-gang.

“Die!”

Blade energy poured from Black Scale Blade’s cleaver.

Jin Ja-gang built internal energy raised through Mad Blood Heaven Cultivation in five dikes, creating Vortex Rush.

Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art Fifth Light.

Internal energy nearly approaching that of Fairy Maiden Dan Ryeong-gyeong.

Fountain Bullet!

Finger wind shot from his thumb struck the cleaver’s side from an angle.

Clang!

The cleaver’s blade energy shattered, a hole pierced through the center, and the cleaver vibrated wildly. Black Scale Blade’s grip was torn. Black Scale Blade dropped his cleaver and threw a punch.

Jin Ja-gang received Black Scale Blade’s punch with the back of his hand. This was Jin Ja-gang who had fought with grappling techniques against masters counted among the best throughout the entire martial world in Sichuan. That experience could never be ignored. Jin Ja-gang received Black Scale Blade’s punch with Touch-Link-Follow and deflected it as is.

Black Scale Blade’s upper body leaned back and swayed.

“Ugh!”

Jin Ja-gang struck Black Scale Blade’s exposed chest with his left hand.

Capturing Dragon Crusher.

Hand techniques that improved Drilling Dragon Claw to match Jin Ja-gang’s fighting style.

Crunch!

Jin Ja-gang’s five left fingers embedded in Black Scale Blade’s chest. They pierced flesh and broke bone. Black Scale Blade’s movement stopped. Black Scale Blade could feel Jin Ja-gang’s fingers embedded in his heart.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“You came this far for revenge for the Iron Umbrella Sect leader, but those who used Iron Umbrella Sect abandoned you without taking revenge. If they had wanted revenge, I wouldn’t be alive.”

“So you’ll take revenge for us? You’re the enemy, so you’ll take revenge on yourself?”

Black Scale Blade laughed incredulously and blood flowed from his mouth.

Jin Ja-gang shook his head.

“It’s not me. I came to take revenge for myself, my sect, and the Yunnan Medicine Sect. I can’t take your revenge, but I’ll make those who used the Yunnan Poison Sect and Iron Umbrella Sect pay the price.”

“Those who used Yunnan, you say. Kekeke. Are you trying to persuade me now by claiming to be from Yunnan?”

Black Scale Blade spat curses.

“Crazy bastard.”

“Decide.”

Black Scale Blade, who had been silently glaring at Jin Ja-gang, said.

“You’re right. If I couldn’t beat you, how could I take revenge on them?”

Jin Ja-gang listened quietly. Black Scale Blade continued.

“I don’t know who they are. But the stolen goods were sold through Old Man Oh in Gubuk Village.”

“Old Man Oh.”

“They don’t know that fact. So handle the rest yourself.”

Black Scale Blade forcefully pulled his body backward. Blood spurted from the five holes in his chest.

Thump, Black Scale Blade knelt and smiled bloodily.

“You killed Silent Dragon and Swift Dragon… A dragon has emerged from Yunnan.”

Black Scale Blade soon fell forward and died.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the remaining trembling men but left Iron Umbrella Sect’s manor without touching them. If they weren’t Iron Umbrella Sect warriors, there was no reason to kill them.

Gubuk Village was a day’s distance from here.

* * *

Gubuk Village wasn’t a large village. However, it was situated alongside a large waterway with terrain that could connect in all directions. Large markets would open periodically, drawing people by boat.

The stolen goods were likely also disposed of on market days.

When Jin Ja-gang arrived at Gubuk Village, no market was open.

Jin Ja-gang went around asking about Old Man Oh.

However, while the villagers responded kindly, they clammed up whenever Old Man Oh was mentioned.

But while passing along a road, someone suddenly spoke as if to themselves from the roadside.

“Why is Poison Dragon looking for me?”

Jin Ja-gang stopped walking and turned to see an old man sitting under a wall, leisurely smoking a long pipe while looking at Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang looked at the old man and said.

“Fourth time seeing you. Are you Old Man Oh?”

He was a small-bodied, ordinary-looking country old man. His eyes were also cloudy and his teeth sparse and missing.

“Fourth time? You’ve been watching all that?”

“When I first entered the village sitting in a tea house, at the wharf when I looked around the market, behind me when I asked directions from a pockmarked woman, and on the neighboring porch when I entered this alley.”

“Hoho.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

“The rumors about Poison Dragon weren’t false. Right. I’m Oh Tae. Others call me Old Master Oh. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“I’m looking for stolen goods that came from Iron Umbrella Sect.”

Oh Tae’s expression slightly hardened. He tapped out his pipe and refilled it with tobacco, lighting it.

Puff.

Blowing out smoke, Oh Tae said.

“Speaking of which, I heard strange fellows went around collecting items from ruined Poison Sects. Do you know who they are?”

“I don’t know.”

“They’re probably not from here. No one came looking for this place.”

Oh Tae showed his yellow teeth in a grin.

“What Gubuk does is, it’s Yunnan’s largest black market.”

“Black market…”

An underworld marketplace where all sorts of deals are made. From human flesh to stolen goods, all illegal transactions take place.

Gubuk Village served as such a black market.

“When money gathers, people gather, and when people gather, goods gather. This place has brothels that only operate on market days, and gambling dens. Stolen goods from all over Yunnan are also disposed of then.”

“I see. Thank you for the detailed explanation.”

“What. If I didn’t tell you, who knows what would happen to me.”

Oh Tae grinned again.

“You’re fine even after inhaling my poison smoke, so what can we do against Poison Dragon?”

The smoke from Oh Tae’s pipe contained poison. It smelled fragrantly of tobacco but had paralysis poison mixed in.

Of course, it didn’t work on Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang had known it was poison smoke from the start, but since it had no major effect anyway, he had left it alone.

Oh Tae tapped out the poison tobacco into an iron case and sealed it.

“Just hearing Poison Dragon was coming, half the young ones here are already scared. You don’t seem to know, but your reputation is widespread.”

“Isn’t it infamy?”

“Of course it’s infamy. What good deeds have you done to want to be called a chivalrous hero?”

Oh Tae scolded as if incredulous.

Jin Ja-gang had continuously met only opponents stronger than himself, so he hadn’t had the chance to directly feel his reputation. But in reality, in the martial world, Poison Dragon was almost like the name of death’s messenger.

He had swept through Yunnan’s five major Poison Sects, set fire to the Tang family’s heart in Sichuan, and was the first to break the Zhuge family’s death warrant. Moreover, he had killed three of the Three Dragons Four Phoenixes, the family’s later-stage masters.

It was a situation where his name couldn’t help but become known.

“But unlike the rumors, you seem like a friend with manners. Follow me.”

Oh Tae walked ahead with his back hunched and hands behind his back. Jin Ja-gang followed Oh Tae into a shabby building. The outside was a shabby three-story pavilion that looked ready to collapse, but the inside was surprisingly clean.

“This is my business place.”

Inside were several fierce-looking young men whose eyes were full of wariness as they looked at Jin Ja-gang.

Oh Tae stamped his feet.

“Cowardly bastards. Move quickly and set up the board.”

The young men busily moved to bring tables and chairs. Oh Tae sat on one side and offered Jin Ja-gang the opposite side. Jin Ja-gang sat across from him.

“You said you want to know where Iron Umbrella Sect’s stolen goods went?”

“That’s right.”

“I can’t just tell you.”

“But I don’t know how to gamble.”

“It’s fine. It’s a very simple picture matching game.”

“I understand. What do you want?”

“Let’s make a deal. If you don’t like it, you can kill everyone here, including me, and leave.”

“That won’t happen. Probably.”

Oh Tae chuckled and laid out tiles in front.

They were square tiles made of ivory, yellowed from long use. The backs were red and the insides were white. On the white side were various pictures including birds, flowers, insects, mountains, and trees drawn in cursive style.

“Look carefully at the pictures on the tiles.”

Oh Tae selected four tiles from among those with various pictures. He flipped the tiles to show their patterns.

Flower, fish, bird, deer.

After showing the patterns, Oh Tae flipped them face down to hide them. Then he began shuffling them with his hands.

“The rules are simple. While I shuffle the tiles three times, you need to guess what I’ll flip. If you do, you win, and I’ll tell you how the stolen goods were disposed of.”

“What do I do if I lose?”

“Just go as you are. Leave here as if nothing happened. How about it? Can you keep that promise? Of course, even if you don’t, there’s no one who can stop you. But you’ll never be able to find out where the stolen goods went.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded in agreement.

“Let’s try.”

“Now, watch carefully. I’ll shuffle the tiles then flip one.”

Oh Tae shuffled them around and flipped one tile.

It was the bird pattern.

“Can you guess the rest?”

Jin Ja-gang pointed to the remaining three tiles and said.

“In order, fish, deer, flower.”

Oh Tae flipped the tiles. They came out exactly as Jin Ja-gang said.

“Hoho. You do have good eyes.”

Oh Tae flipped the tiles back and shuffled them again.

This time Oh Tae flipped the bird and fish tiles.

Jin Ja-gang guessed the remaining two.

“In order, flower, deer.”

Oh Tae opened the remaining two tiles to confirm.

“Hoho, excellent. You got them all right. Then this is the last time.”

Oh Tae shuffled the tiles and slowly flipped them one by one. But he opened as many as three tiles.

Fish, bird, flower.

And he pointed to the one tile that wasn’t flipped. It had to be the deer picture. Jin Ja-gang looked at Oh Tae, wondering what this meant. Oh Tae was grinning broadly.

“Now, guess.”

“Deer.”

Oh Tae smiled and flipped the tile. A single dragonfly was drawn on it.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t believe his eyes. It wasn’t sleight of hand, and it didn’t seem like he had shuffled quickly or used tricks.

“Most martial artists think they can see through any trickery if they enhance their eyesight.”

Oh Tae erased his smiling expression, changed to a fierce look, and sneered.

“You were wrong, so get lost as promised.”