Chapter 449

[TL Note- The terminology may change a little, but it’ll be more accurate.]

However, Yelu Huan did not press Jin Ja-gang further.

“I heard the mad roar inside you earlier.”

“Your hearing is sharp.”

“In the thousand-year history of our cult, fewer than ten have subdued the demons in their skulls. Every single one became an absolute master whose name was etched in the religion’s history. Even though it contains the incantations of Toad Art, you who have subdued the demons in your skull have every right to be arrogant before me.”

“If that’s praise, I’ll accept it gladly.”

“I knew what kind of person you were from the moment we first met in prison. We made quite a good deal back then.”

“It wasn’t a bad deal. However, you owe me a debt. You used me to announce your appearance.”

“That’s right. I won’t deny it. That’s why I’m going to repay the debt I owe you right here, and propose one more deal in addition.”

“There’s only one thing I need right now.”

“I’ll tell you exactly that.”

Yeong-gwi looked at Jin Ja-gang in surprise.

Did he mean he would reveal the distribution route of the Five Paths Death Pill!

Jin Ja-gang asked cautiously.

“May I decide after hearing the contents of the deal?”

“A debt is a debt, and a deal is a deal.”

At that moment, Maheul came out from inside the ruined estate, covered in dust and carrying tea.

Yelu Huan ordered Maheul again.

“Bring paper, brush, and ink.”

“Yes!”

Maheul politely set down the tea and ran back into the estate.

While Yelu Huan leisurely drank tea, Maheul quickly found the writing materials and came out.

Yelu Huan placed the paper on Maheul’s back and wrote a few characters. Then he folded the paper and stuck it against a broken pillar protruding from the debris, driving the brush into it like an awl to fix it in place.

Yelu Huan pointed to the paper and said.

“He only delivered the goods as ordered. The goods came from ‘that place’… those were the dead man’s words. I’ve written where that place is on this paper.”

“You killed a person and made this place such a mess just to learn that one thing?”

“Do you think they would have answered obediently if asked? You don’t know how vicious merchants can be! People say the Evil Sect or Demon Cult are the most wicked in the world, but merchants are worse than that.”

Yelu Huan burst into hearty laughter.

“They have no good or evil. They deceive people and snitch on colleagues for a single coin. They poison their parents and sell their wives and children. They’re fools who would foolishly throw away their own lives rather than take a loss.”

Yelu Huan sneered at Jin Ja-gang.

“You wouldn’t know. Not just you, but other martial artists are the same. You think money comes out anywhere with just one swing of a sword, not knowing how precious money is or how viciously merchants behave to earn that money. Do you think you could have obtained what you wanted without using this much force? Even if you had come, it wouldn’t have been much different.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Yelu Huan for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

“I understand. If that’s what you think, it’s not my place to interfere.”

“Good.”

Yelu Huan smiled and drank his tea. He threw the empty cup and broke it.

“Let me speak directly.”

Watching this, Yeong-gwi became tense and raised her internal energy, preparing for everything. If he were to propose unreasonable conditions, a fight could break out immediately.

In the tense atmosphere, Yelu Huan casually said to Jin Ja-gang.

“Hand over the salt that the Tang family took.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes narrowed upon hearing Yelu Huan’s proposal.

It was an unexpected proposal.

After thinking for a moment, Jin Ja-gang answered.

“That’s not for me to decide.”

“Don’t think of me as soft. I’m proposing this because I know you can do it.”

Maheul scolded from the side.

“Insolent brat! The leader is trying to bestow grace with his deep and broad heart, yet you dare refuse without even hearing everything!”

Maheul’s words made sense this time.

“I see. Then would you tell me what I can gain?”

Yelu Huan said.

“I’ll establish a branch of our cult in Sichuan.”

Yeong-gwi, who was listening, exclaimed in disbelief.

“That’s outrageous! Not only hand over the salt but also allow the Zoroastrian Religion’s branch to enter Sichuan!”

Yelu Huan pointed his finger at Yeong-gwi. An angry voice filled with internal energy rumbled out.

“Who told you to interfere? Woman.”

Tsk! Lightning Extreme Finger was released. Yeong-gwi raised her dagger to block it. At the same time, Jin Ja-gang extended his hand in front of Yeong-gwi.

The finger wind of Lightning Extreme Finger slightly deflected to the side.

Thwack!

The deflected finger wind simply pierced through the tip of Yeong-gwi’s dagger and disappeared after making a round hole in the ground.

Jin Ja-gang shook his tingling hand. Though it had hit his palm, a blue bruise appeared on the back of his hand. The finger wind was so strong that the blood had rushed backward upon impact. If his internal energy had been insufficient, a hole would have been pierced through his palm and more.

As proof, there was a circular hole at the tip of the dagger Yeong-gwi held. It was a hole made even after the force had weakened from hitting Jin Ja-gang’s hand.

White Ape made a commotion from the side.

“Kaaaak! Kaak!”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Yelu Huan and said.

“Please be patient. Do you want to abandon the deal?”

“Have you decided?”

Yeong-gwi shouted in shock and cold sweat.

“You can’t!”

Jin Ja-gang chose his words carefully and spoke to Yeong-gwi.

“The Zoroastrian Cult needs funds to expand their religious influence. That’s why they want the salt we recovered.”

“But if we hand over the salt, it will add confirmation to the rumors currently circulating! If that happens… not only the Tang family, but the Poison Sect family and Emei Sect will be finished.”

The salt convoy incident at Dujiangyan.

It was such a complexly entangled incident that the world only knew that the Zoroastrian Cult, Northern Heaven Evil Sect, and all sorts of groups had gotten involved and fought to steal salt from each other. Of course, rumors also circulated that Master Haewol had drawn in the Zoroastrian Cult, or that the Tang family was recovering ships to hide some conspiracy.

The Tang family deliberately did not respond accurately. Even when false rumors spread that the Tang family had colluded with the Zoroastrian Cult or joined hands with the Northern Heaven Evil Sect, they did not respond.

Rather than explaining everything in detail and having it constantly talked about, they chose the strategy of keeping quiet while taking advantage of the martial world’s chaos.

Most importantly, there was no point in telling the truth. Who would believe that Baek Li-jung, known as a great hero of the martial world, had joined hands with the Zoroastrian Cult? Rather, Baek Li-jung was someone who had tried to distribute salt for the poor.

Yeong-gwi asked again.

“And what about the promise to compensate the merchants for their losses!”

Yelu Huan clicked his tongue.

“Foolish woman. This is beneficial to the Tang family, not our cult.”

Yelu Huan tapped the paper stuck in the broken pillar with his palm.

“I said I heard from that Wang Ung fellow about where the Five Paths Death Pill came from. I made this proposal to you after that. Do you understand what this means?”

“That…!”

Jin Ja-gang stepped forward instead of Yeong-gwi.

“Don’t tell me you think even the Tang family’s power would have difficulty touching the mastermind?”

“Their organization is very solid and more deeply rooted than you think. Go confirm it yourself. However.”

Yelu Huan’s expression became serious.

“Even in the worst case, if we enter Sichuan, Sichuan can be saved. Pull back. And wait quietly at the Tang family estate. Our Zoroastrian Cult will become the Tang family’s shield.”

Martial sects and religious cults are completely different in nature. Sects have only a small number of disciples, but religious cults penetrate into the civilian population and create thousands upon thousands of believers and followers. That itself becomes an excellent breakwater.

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“If I pull back… in the meantime, you plan to devour the Hungry Ghost King and absorb the plans to take the martial world into your hands, don’t you?”

A cold smile settled at the corners of Yelu Huan’s mouth, but it hardened stiffly upon hearing Jin Ja-gang’s answer.

“I refuse.”

“The reason?”

“You’re not thinking of just a branch, but of making Sichuan into an advance base. As a full-scale foothold for entering the Central Plains.”

“Even if I said there would be no harm to the Tang family?”

This time Jin Ja-gang sneered at Yelu Huan.

“Would there be any fool who would allow a heretic to build a house in their front yard and preach as they please?”

At the word heretic, Yelu Huan’s eyes turned cold, and Maheul fumed with rage from behind.

Yelu Huan looked down at Jin Ja-gang with cold eyes.

“With this, the debt between us is settled.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t demand patience and mercy from me any longer.”

Yelu Huan shouted.

“Maheul!”

Maheul bent at the waist with both arms hanging down, raised his head to the sky, and roared.

“Kraaaaa!”

Behind Jin Ja-gang, White Ape showed her fangs and howled back.

“Kyaaaa!”

Maheul rolled his eyes and grinned until his mouth split, stamping his feet. He swayed his body restlessly, waiting for the next command.

Yelu Huan commanded.

“Go wild.”

Instantly, Maheul kicked off the ground and charged at Jin Ja-gang.

Yeong-gwi blocked Maheul’s path.

“I’ll stop this one!”

“Where to?”

Maheul took a deep breath and unleashed a series of double palm strikes.

“Kwaaaaa!”

Tremendously powerful palm forces flew in bundles. Yeong-gwi lowered her body to dodge. The missed palm forces hit the remains of the main gate, instantly crumbling them and raising clouds of dust.

Yeong-gwi crawled along the ground and slashed at Maheul’s shin. Maheul raised both arms up and struck down at Yeong-gwi with both fists. At that moment, White Ape flew over Maheul’s head and swung her claws. Three lines of blood appeared on Maheul’s forehead.

Slash! At the same time, Yeong-gwi also lightly cut Maheul’s shin and quickly rolled away. Maheul’s both fists struck where Yeong-gwi had been. The ground crumbled as it was, and a mound of earth shot up. White Ape climbed up Maheul’s shoulder with her hind feet and wildly scratched his face with her front paws. Maheul’s face quickly became covered in blood. Maheul grabbed White Ape’s tail and threw her down to the ground.

Thud! White Ape hit the ground with her back crushing impact. Maheul kicked at White Ape. White Ape turned her body and ran away on all fours.

When Maheul missed White Ape, he lifted his cut leg and sucked the wound on his shin with his mouth, then spat.

“Ptui.”

He had sucked out the poison from the dagger.

“Hehehe!”

Though his face was covered in blood, he didn’t seem to care at all. After all, it was just one more scar among the countless scars on his body.

Meanwhile, Jin Ja-gang used the Reverse Afterimage Soul Movement technique to pass Maheul and fly toward Yelu Huan.

Yelu Huan was already turning around, trying to leave the estate. Jin Ja-gang struck Yelu Huan’s back with a palm using all his might. Yelu Huan only turned his upper body and blocked Jin Ja-gang’s palm with his forearm.

Thwack!

Yelu Huan spun his wrist and grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s arm.

Jin Ja-gang, with one hand caught, drew a poison needle with Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams from his left hand. Then he tried to stab the poison needle into Yelu Huan’s armpit.

But…

Clatter.

The poison needle fell.

The strength left his hand.

“…!”

Yelu Huan smiled coldly.