Chapter 384

Jin Ja-gang looked at Taoist Haewol with an expression asking why.

Taoist Haewol said.

“If you go, you’ll die.”

“…”

Jin Ja-gang suddenly laughed.

“Haha!”

Taoist Haewol frowned.

“Is it funny? Is it amusing that you’ll die?”

“I’m prepared for it.”

“King of Hell is waiting.”

Though Jin Ja-gang still wore a smile, Yeong-gwi got chills.

King of Hell waiting meant he already knew about the three Poison Sect cliques’ rebellion movement!

Jin Ja-gang rather questioned Taoist Haewol’s words.

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if he didn’t know?”

Taoist Haewol let out an annoyed sigh.

“This fellow, after I went to the trouble of telling him.”

“I appreciate your words. Then.”

Jin Ja-gang bowed and immediately tried to leave.

To Yeong-gwi, this was absurd. To just go his own way with the world’s Martial Alliance Leader before him!

But Taoist Haewol didn’t step aside.

Jin Ja-gang smiled again.

“As expected.”

Taoist Haewol snorted.

“Tenacious fellow. You’re too smart to have any cute charm.”

“I had some expectation from when Master appeared before me.”

“If you know, don’t act rashly and go back.”

Yeong-gwi tried to intervene.

“That cannot be…!”

Taoist Haewol pointed his finger at Yeong-gwi.

“You stay out of this.”

Instantly, invisible forces flew toward Yeong-gwi. Yeong-gwi’s body stiffened. Though Taoist Haewol had merely pointed his finger, the terror of death enveloped her body. Everything around became dark and her spine chilled. Her hair stood on end. Though rainwater seeped into her eyes, she couldn’t close them.

Jin Ja-gang moved a half-step to block Yeong-gwi’s front. Only then did Yeong-gwi’s blocked vision clear. She barely regained her senses while wiping the rainwater from her eyes.

Jin Ja-gang asked Taoist Haewol.

“If you’re going to stop me, why did you kill Mount Hua Sect people?”

“So Mount Hua Sect wouldn’t know you came.”

“You don’t want me associated with the Tang family.”

“That’s right.”

“Then you didn’t kill Mount Hua martial artists for my sake.”

“Because otherwise I’d have to decide whether to kill you or not. So in the end, it becomes something for your sake.”

Though they were talking casually, Yeong-gwi was suffocating even from the killing intent Taoist Haewol gradually emitted during conversation.

‘He can handle such killing intent so casually?’

Jin Ja-gang was looking at Taoist Haewol with a calm expression.

But his mind was working much more complexly than what Yeong-gwi saw.

Jin Ja-gang had been grasping his intentions since Taoist Haewol appeared.

Taoist Haewol intended to gather the corrupted and massacre them all at once.

Chaos. Confusion.

The more people involved, the bigger the mass would become, and only then could Taoist Haewol reach his desired goal.

For that, there was something that needed to happen first.

The worst enemy was needed.

Like the Tang family!

Taoist Haewol said.

“I must have told you before. There are two ways to move those prideful fellows who won’t budge even with a blade at their throat.”

When the martial world itself faces a survival threat, when great cause must be followed.

Without those two things, the entire martial world won’t move.

Conversely, it means the entire martial world can be moved with those two things.

Taoist Haewol transmitted his meaning to Jin Ja-gang alone through a method similar to voice transmission.

[Soon the martial world will mobilize all capabilities to fight the Tang family. Yangtze River Sword Sect, Shaolin Temple, the entire martial world will join hands with the Righteous Alliance. Including the corrupted ones.]

So Taoist Haewol intended to define the Tang family as the worst enemy and unite the opposition. For that, he wouldn’t hesitate to join hands with the enemy Righteous Alliance. After all, the great cause lay in saving the entire martial world by sweeping away the corrupted.

But whether the Tang family was suitable as that worst enemy was another matter.

“Would it be possible?”

“King of Hell is already preparing to fight against the entire martial world.”

“Do you know what plan King of Hell has?”

“I don’t know.”

[If it’s insufficient, I’ll have to make it succeed.]

“So you’re trying to stop me.”

“Right. So it becomes very troublesome if you become the Tang family’s head.”

If Jin Ja-gang killed Tang Qing and took over the Tang family, Taoist Haewol’s plan to make the Tang family the worst enemy would go awry.

Also, after causing trouble, Taoist Haewol intended to take all responsibility upon himself. And the person who would ultimately finish what he started was precisely Jin Ja-gang.

[I hope you haven’t forgotten your promise with me.]

The mission to take Taoist Haewol’s life and open a new era.

Until then, Jin Ja-gang must not be a person of the Tang family.

“How could I forget?”

“Don’t make me kill you.”

Jin Ja-gang stared at Taoist Haewol.

“But I’m not the only one who has to do that task.”

“There’s no one like you.”

“You’re quite greedy too.”

“I’ve lived my whole life for the martial world. Can’t I be a little greedy once?”

Yeong-gwi, who had been watching the exchange between Jin Ja-gang and Taoist Haewol, was completely flabbergasted.

She couldn’t believe this was really possible.

The Martial Alliance Leader, the supreme head of the righteous martial world, had personally appeared before Jin Ja-gang, and the two were even talking back and forth on equal footing.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just Taoist Haewol. King of Hell Tang Qing had made Jin Ja-gang his grandson-in-law, the three Poison Sect Cliques had chosen Jin Ja-gang as the figure to replace King of Hell. Moreover, even Demon Exterminating Monk Mu-gak had acknowledged Jin Ja-gang!

Though the world called Jin Ja-gang a mad murderer, those who actually knew Jin Ja-gang saw him as a tremendous figure.

The discernment of one big shot recognizing another.

One of those big shots said.

“I have a wife in Sichuan.”

“I know.”

Jin Ja-gang spoke in an unexpectedly gentle voice.

“Alliance Leader. Go your own way, Alliance Leader. I have my own path. My path is one I must create solely for my wife and myself. The promise with the Alliance Leader will surely be kept when the path you walk and the path I walk meet someday.”

Thump.

Hearing Jin Ja-gang’s words, Yeong-gwi’s heart pounded again.

Statements that seemed reckless against the Martial Alliance Leader at first glance. But Jin Ja-gang, who wouldn’t be intimidated at all and wanted to go his own way.

Taoist Haewol said irritably.

“Look. You’re going on about your wife, but just looking beside you, the gaze directed at you isn’t ordinary. Do you think you can properly walk your path like that?”

Yeong-gwi was startled.

Could he be talking about me now?

Her face burned. Strange emotions enveloped Yeong-gwi. She glanced at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang, who had been answering so well, somehow couldn’t answer this time.

Taoist Haewol shook his head.

Then he spoke in a deflated tone.

“You’re really an annoying fellow. It’s a waste to kill you, but if I leave you alone, you’re so willful you won’t listen at all!”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t even say sorry out of courtesy.

Taoist Haewol put his hands behind his back. Then after thinking briefly, he said.

“I’ll give you a reprieve.”

“Please tell me.”

“If you can’t stop King of Hell, or if King of Hell has greater hidden power than I think.”

[So if the Righteous Alliance, Yangtze River Sword Sect, and Shaolin Temple can’t stop the Tang family.]

Taoist Haewol stared at Jin Ja-gang.

[I’ll have no choice but to do more terrible things to the martial world than you think.]

“Even when that time comes…”

Jin Ja-gang paused briefly then continued.

“I will surely keep my promise.”

Taoist Haewol nodded.

“Good.”

Taoist Haewol quickly turned his head to look at Yeong-gwi. But this time, no pressure was felt at all. It even felt comfortable.

“If you want to stay by this fellow’s side for long, erase the smell of blood. Otherwise you won’t live long.”

Yeong-gwi shrank but gritted her teeth and forced out words.

“What… do you mean? I’m someone who had leprosy and Poison Dragon is my enemy. With my own hands I will surely…”

It wasn’t what Yeong-gwi originally wanted to say. She didn’t know why she was making such excuses. It just felt like she should.

But Taoist Haewol ignored Yeong-gwi’s words and turned away.

“Whether you do or don’t.”

Yeong-gwi almost got angry but held back since her opponent was the Martial Alliance Leader.

“I’m going.”

“Go ahead.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Taoist Haewol lightly jumped and disappeared.

Jin Ja-gang let out a long breath like a sigh and said.

“We need to move quickly. Master did unnecessary things, so Mount Hua Sect’s pursuit will intensify.”

Yeong-gwi stood there for a moment, her face flushed, unable to do anything. Jin Ja-gang waited for her. But such consideration made Yeong-gwi even more embarrassed.

“A-aren’t you getting on?”

She shouted for no reason, but somehow it sounded like whining even to herself, making her even more embarrassed.

When Jin Ja-gang got on her back, Yeong-gwi began running at the highest speed she could achieve with lightness techniques.

* * *

Tang Ha-ran became anxious.

She had received a pulse examination from the Divine Physician, and he had told her not to worry, saying nothing was wrong, so there should be no problem. But as her belly grew, her body became increasingly difficult and her stamina dropped rapidly. Dizziness also worsened and bloody stools became frequent.

But what made Tang Ha-ran most anxious was guilt.

Her heart was uncomfortable. While she was eating and sleeping well, staying comfortably in the Tang Family Main House, wasn’t Jin Ja-gang always living in danger as if on a blade’s edge?

She wanted to help Jin Ja-gang somehow.

So Tang Ha-ran often came out to the outer courtyard under the pretext of taking walks.

But the atmosphere within the Tang Family Main House had changed from before. Something was amiss.

Tang Ha-ran deliberately came out for walks several times a day. She definitely felt it had become busier than before.

Especially recently, she could see unfamiliar faces or familiar ones coming and going from the Tang Family Main House to an annoying degree.

“Who is that person? I think I saw them a few days ago too.”

Tang Ha-ran asked her maid. Since she asked about unknown faces every time she went for walks, the maid had also inquired around beforehand to learn about them as much as possible.

“They say he’s someone from Yingbo merchants.”

“What about the person who came the day before yesterday? The one who came with the Divine Physician.”

“The kitchen says he’s from the Guangdong merchant house area. But I don’t know if that’s accurate.”

“Really? Merchants have been coming and going frequently lately.”

“I’m sorry. Lowly ones like us who only do menial work can’t know such reasons…”

“It’s fine. Thanks to you always finding out, my curiosity gets satisfied. Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

Tang Ha-ran held her swollen belly. Her face grimaced. Pain came again.

“I need to rest for a moment.”

She stopped walking and sat on a small rock.

Then a procession passing by stopped upon seeing Tang Ha-ran. It was Tang Gwi-ok. Tang Gwi-ok had servants help her down from the carriage and change to a wheeled chair.

Then she approached Tang Ha-ran.

“Great-aunt.”

When Tang Ha-ran tried to get up, Tang Gwi-ok raised her hand.

“Stay as you are. Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine.”

But Tang Ha-ran was sweating profusely.

“The Divine Physician advised that frequent movement wouldn’t be good for your body. Let’s go inside. I have something to discuss anyway.”