Jin Muryang glared at the Blood Thunder Gate martial artists with a terrifying expression.
“Go back and tell them. Got it? Make sure you insist that they absolutely have to take revenge.”
“What?”
“I said go back and talk your Gate Master into coming after us!”
The martial artists trembled at Jin Muryang’s furious shout.
Ye Yahyeon laughed.
“What are you waiting for? We can just go there ourselves.”
“Ah! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Jin Muryang turned to Jeok Wigang.
“What?”
“Can we go? If we leave these bastards alone, they’re bound to cause serious trouble sooner or later. I think someone needs to go over there and educate them properly.”
He was practically itching to leave.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“You’re coming too, Elder Brother? Why would you follow us somewhere meant for kids to play?”
Jin Muryang sounded genuinely disappointed.
Jeok Wigang looked at him.
“And if I don’t go? You’re planning to wipe out everyone there?”
“Come on. I told you, I don’t do that anymore. I’ll just go over, have a nice talk with them, and persuade them not to do bad things again.”
His eyes gleamed dangerously as he said it.
Jeok Wigang snorted.
“Fine, fine. Just don’t overdo it.”
“Yes!”
Jin Muryang lit up at the permission.
Ye Yahyeon asked,
“Can I go too?”
Jin Muryang immediately scowled.
“Why do you keep trying to butt in? You’re a commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Go deal with the county magistrate or something.”
“Hey! Let me have some fun too!”
As the two started bickering, Jeok Wigang cut in.
“You two planning to keep this up? If so, stay here and play with me instead.”
One sentence was enough.
Jin Muryang instantly changed his tune.
“Let’s go together peacefully, my friend.”
“Exactly what I was about to suggest.”
Baek Ryeongso chuckled at the sight.
They had not changed at all from the old days.
Meanwhile, the Blood Thunder Gate martial artists who witnessed the exchange were horrified.
Just how strong was that young man for monsters like these to behave like meek sheep in front of him?
This was not the sort of obedience inspired by status alone.
It was the behavior of men who had genuinely submitted.
Men who were genuinely afraid.
“Hey. What are you staring at? Get up already.”
“That’s right. We don’t have all day. Move.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!”
*****
“Huff... huff... huff...!”
A haggard man wearing a hero’s headband embroidered with the words White Ram was racing frantically down a mountain path.
CRACK—
CRASH, THUD, RATTLE—
In his haste, he lost his footing and tumbled downhill.
THUD—
“Urgh!”
A groan escaped him.
He was clearly in pain, yet he clenched his teeth and struggled to keep as quiet as possible.
He was fleeing from someone.
“I’ll get revenge. I swear I will....”
His dirt-covered fist tightened.
Then—
“You really are a nuisance.”
“What? You only made it this far? Disappointing.”
“Kehehe. The way you ran for your life, I thought you might actually have something up your sleeve.”
The man turned toward the voices.
Three sinister-looking figures were strolling after him as casually as though they were out for a walk.
Each wore a hero’s headband marked with the character for Blood.
WHOOSH— WHUMP—
“Guhk!”
THUD—
One of them struck him, sending him sprawling.
“Guh...! Cough...!”
The blow had landed in his abdomen, leaving him gasping desperately for breath.
The attacker clicked his tongue.
“Why did you make things so hard on yourself by running? If you’d stayed where you were, you could’ve died without even knowing what happened. But now that I caught you, you don’t get that luxury.”
He had begun in a tone that almost sounded concerned.
By the end, his lips were stretched into a delighted grin.
“Hey! Finish him off already. Let’s go drink.”
“You two go ahead. I’m going to have a little fun with this one first.”
TAP— TAP—
He sealed the fleeing man’s pressure points, leaving him unable to move.
The other two groaned.
“You’re going to play around torturing him again, aren’t you?”
“Stop bringing your personal tastes into official business.”
“It’s a hobby. Besides, when else am I supposed to enjoy myself? Just put in a good word for me.”
“Ugh. You sick bastard. Do whatever you want. Just don’t kill him. The Gate Master ordered us to bring every last one of them back alive.”
“Kehehe. Don’t worry.”
“Have you ever seen that freak kill anybody? He keeps them alive to the very end so he can keep playing. Come on.”
The other two shook their heads and left.
Once they were alone, the remaining man lowered the bundle from his back and unwrapped it.
The moment its contents were revealed, the immobilized man’s pupils shook violently.
The bundle was packed with hideous instruments of every imaginable kind.
“This one is for pulling out your fingernails. This one goes under the nail before I pull it out. This one is for cutting bone. And this one...”
He happily began explaining each tool one by one.
Like a collector proudly showing off his prized possessions.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm. What should we start with?”
He was humming as he inspected the torture implements when—
“That one looks good. Try that.”
A voice came from behind him.
“W-What?”
The man jumped to his feet.
Three men stood there.
Every one of them had a face vicious enough to make the blood run cold.
If hell had its own death messengers, they might have looked something like this.
Just seeing them was enough to raise goosebumps.
“What are you doing? Didn’t you hear me? I said that one looks good.”
THUD— THUD—
As they spoke, the three casually dropped something onto the ground.
The Blood Thunder Gate martial artist’s eyes widened, and he stumbled backward.
They were his two companions.
“Don’t look so shocked. We didn’t kill them.”
“We don’t just go around killing people anymore.”
“That’s right. We promised Elder Brother.”
The man backed away.
Those two companions were masters comparable to himself.
Yet the three strangers did not have so much as a scratch on them.
They had subdued them effortlessly.
Then a group of martial artists came scrambling up the mountain, breathing heavily.
The man’s face brightened.
More of his comrades.
Except...
Something seemed wrong.
They did not look like reinforcements rushing to help.
They looked more like people desperately trying not to fall behind.
“Can’t you idiots keep up?”
“S-Sorry!”
They had chased at full speed.
Yet instead of closing the distance, they had only fallen farther and farther behind.
Every time they did, a voice transmission reached them.
If the gap got any wider, they were told, it would be taken as a request to spend some quality time together.
So they had gritted their teeth and squeezed out every last ounce of strength trying to keep up.
It felt deeply unfair.
Even so, they apologized desperately.
The three men were Ye Yahyeon, Jin Muryang, and Baek Ryeongso.
Ye Yahyeon looked down at the man who had been fleeing.
“Looks like there’s a story here. Want to tell us?”
Jin Muryang added,
“You’re incredibly lucky, you know. Chances like this don’t come often. You could practically call it a fortuitous encounter.”
Baek Ryeongso grinned.
“This really takes me back. I’m in a good mood, so go ahead. Tell us what’s happening. Who knows? Maybe we’ll help.”
The man’s eyes darted back and forth.
What was going on?
Could he really tell them?
“Guess he doesn’t want to.”
“Come on. Let’s just go.”
The three turned to leave.
Panicking, the man shouted after them.
Then the words came spilling out.
“Th-They took our Gate Master! Please, you have to save him!”
“Oh! A kidnapping. Now that sounds interesting.”
“Why was he kidnapped?”
“We were fighting over control of the local interests here. But those Blood Thunder Gate bastards used Qi-Scattering Poison and launched a cowardly surprise attack!”
“Wow. Really? They are bad guys.”
“Definitely. How little confidence do you have to have to attack someone with poison like that?”
“Exactly. The real fun is crushing someone when they’re attacking you at full strength.”
“Right.”
“You lot are pathetic too. You get beaten by bastards who rely on tricks like that, then stand around whining about how unfair it was. Don’t go around calling yourselves martial artists.”
The man felt wronged.
He wisely remained silent.
“We’re headed there anyway. Want us to take care of it?”
“Sure. Elder Brother did say we should help bring peace to the martial world.”
Baek Ryeongso stared at Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang, then laughed.
“It still feels weird hearing you two say things like that. You really have changed.”
“Of course. We’re completely different people now.”
“Could you say that after putting that guy down?”
The Blood Thunder Gate martial artist who had been happily laying out torture tools earlier was currently tucked under Jin Muryang’s arm.
“No. His tools looked pretty interesting. I thought the two of us could have a private discussion about them. Hear what each one does.”
The captive frantically shook his head.
His mute pressure point had already been sealed, so no words came out.
“Hey, forget it. Let’s move. If we’re late, Elder Brother is going to come after us. Then we won’t get to have any fun at all.”
“Damn it. Fine.”
Grumbling, Jin Muryang glared down at his captive.
“You stay right behind me the whole way. If you disappear, I’ll chase you to the ends of hell and personally try every single one of those tools on you.”
TAP— TAP—
He released the man’s mute point.
“Yes! Understood!”
The answer rang out with startling vigor.
“Hey! What are you standing around for? Lead the way!”
The Blood Thunder Gate martial artists, who had only just caught their breath, immediately broke into another full-speed run.
*****
The Gate Master of the Blood Thunder Gate sat in a chair in the middle of the courtyard, legs crossed, speaking to the man before him.
“Kehehe. Gate Master Yang. I told you already. Hand over all your interests and leave this place, and I’ll spare your life. Surely you should think of your terrified family members over there too?”
A white-robed martial artist knelt on the ground, bound tightly.
He was Yang Jahyeok, Gate Master of the White Ram Gate, the faction that had clashed with the Blood Thunder Gate over territory.
“Gi Sabaek! You coward! It wasn’t enough to use Qi-Scattering Poison—you even attacked us before dawn! And you still have the nerve to speak like that? If word of this reaches the martial world, you won’t get away with it!”
“Tsk. I clearly gave you a chance, Gate Master Yang. You were the one who kicked it aside. Surely you understand that?”
“Grrr...!”
“Glaring at me won’t change anything. The martial world is a place where the strong prey upon the weak. If you lack strength, being devoured is only natural.”
“The Morning Sun Gate stands behind us!”
“Kehehe. And the Heavenly Yin Gate stands behind us.”
“Urgh!”
Judging by Yang Jahyeok’s reaction, the Heavenly Yin Gate was clearly more powerful than the Morning Sun Gate.
“Tsk, tsk. Fine. I’m feeling generous, so I’ll ask one last time. Hand over your interests quietly and leave this place, and I’ll let you live. I’ll even give you enough money to establish yourselves somewhere else. What do you say?”
At the Blood Thunder Gate Master’s offer, the White Ram Gate Master lowered his head.
The Blood Thunder Gate Master spoke again, his voice almost benevolent.
“You have to stay alive before you can do anything else. I’ll give you a little more time to think. We’re both men who live by the blade, aren’t we? I’ll make sure you’re properly compensated, so why don’t we settle this peacefully?”
“Kh...!”
Tears of humiliation rolled down Yang Jahyeok’s face.
He raised his head and looked to one side.
His family members were bound there, kneeling miserably on the ground.
What had they done to deserve any of this?
Right.
It was not difficult.
All he had to do was say that he would give everything up.
Yang Jahyeok squeezed his eyes shut and was just about to speak—
“GUHK!”
“URRGH!”
CRASH, THUD, RATTLE—
KWAANG!
Screams erupted as the Blood Thunder Gate’s main entrance exploded apart.
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