Chapter 59. Justification for the Fight (3)
Ga Deuk-sang stopped in his tracks.
He stared at Yeon Ho-jeong's back with a look of dismay.
"Huff. Huff."
His breathing was heavy. His chest heaved up and down.
But only for a moment.
"Huuuu."
The time it took him to regain his breath was incredibly short.
His exposed neck and forearms were flushed red. His entire body's muscles were overheated from using his Geo-byeong to its limit.
Woowoowoong.
A faint, light blue energy enveloped Yeon Ho-jeong's body. It was the Byeok-ra-jin-gyeol.
Ga Deuk-sang asked with a hardened face.
"Did you kill her?"
Crack!
Yeon Ho-jeong pulled out his axe and slung it over his shoulder.
"Of course not."
His face, having gathered his killing intent, had become expressionless.
Ga Deuk-sang hurried over to Myeong On-ji.
"Hack... Hack..."
Myeong On-ji's condition was utterly horrifying.
Her entire upper body was covered in wounds from the axe. Judging by the depth of the cuts, at least five or six ribs must have been broken.
Her right arm was gone from the elbow down, and her face was covered in cuts from the axe's Gyeong-pung.
And her face was frozen in extreme terror.
'Brutal.'
It would be kinder to kill someone than to leave them like this. Myeong On-ji might recover physically, but her mind probably wouldn't.
If there was any consolation, it was that there wasn't much bleeding. She must have learned some special martial art.
"You've turned her into a rag."
Yeon Ho-jeong asked indifferently.
"The others?"
"All captured."
"Good."
"Good for now, at least."
Ga Deuk-sang, who had been glaring at Yeon Ho-jeong with a stern look, let out a sigh.
"I know you're angry, but you need to calm down. You almost killed her, you know?"
"I didn't kill her, did I?"
Isn't that enough?
Ga Deuk-sang was at a loss for words.
'Well... I suppose it's understandable.'
Both the Murim Family and the Myeong Family were trying to destroy his own. From Yeon Ho-jeong's perspective, they were clear enemies.
In fact, considering his personality, it was remarkable that he hadn't killed her.
"I couldn't help it with one of them."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"One of them is dead."
"......!"
So, he'd caused trouble after all.
Ga Deuk-sang gave up on arguing. It had already happened. The priority now was to deal with the aftermath as quickly as possible.
"Let's move them first. Damn it! I called a doctor just in case, and it's going to cost a fortune."
Ga Deuk-sang had temporarily secured a small manor. He had all the captured Shadow Squad members tied up there.
Seeing Myeong On-ji being moved, Yeon Ho-jeong came to the entrance of the forest near the manor and sat down carelessly.
Thump-thump.
His racing heart wouldn't calm down. Similarly, the rage that had flared up at seeing Myeong On-ji's martial arts hadn't subsided either.
But apart from the anger, his mind was cold.
'It's getting serious.'
Myeong On-ji was the head of the Myeong Family's intelligence organization.
But no matter how high-ranking she was, intelligence was still intelligence. She was a Myeong, so she had the family's blood, but they wouldn't send someone from the direct lineage to an intelligence organization.
In other words, Myeong On-ji wasn't the head of the family's child. Yet, she had learned 'that martial art.'
What did that mean?
'They said they were raising Sa-geom (Death Swords). The Sa-geom and that woman are ultimately just disposable pawns. So, they're probably letting them learn it as an experiment.'
It was an accurate assessment.
It wasn't because he understood the workings of the Orthodox Murim, but because he understood the nature of power-hungry rulers. The greed of rulers knows no bounds, black or white.
That meant...
'They're preparing.'
The Myeong Family would attack the Yeon Family. That was certain.
But unlike in the past, in this life, he had rooted out all the spies from the Murim Family. So, the Murim Family would try to bury the Yeon Family before the world found out.
In that situation, information from Gangso Province was controlled, and he had appeared in Hanam.
And he had captured an entire intelligence organization of the Myeong Family.
"I need to gather more."
Yeon Ho-jeong raised his head.
Ga Deuk-sang was approaching leisurely. It seemed he had gained some composure after dealing with a major incident.
"It's been hard work, but we can't stop here. A single rumor isn't enough to restrain the Myeong Family. They're too strong."
"What does Hu-gae think?"
Ga Deuk-sang's expression turned serious.
"Well, they'll probably find out within five days at the latest. Considering it's their backyard, we probably have about three days."
"That's likely."
"I received a message. The Yeon Family Head has asked the Beggars' Union to investigate whether there are any organizations related to the Myeong Family in Gangso and Jeolgang."
It was the right decision.
They wouldn't try to destroy the Yeon Family without any foundation in those areas. It wasn't just about destroying; it was also important to establish themselves there.
There must be forces in Gangso that followed the Myeong Family.
"But it's too late."
"That's right. It will take at least a month just to investigate. And that's the minimum estimate."
After a moment of contemplation, Ga Deuk-sang asked.
"What about doing it this way instead?"
"What?"
"My master knows about this too. So, I think it would be okay to ask for his help."
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes lit up.
Ga Deuk-sang's master referred to the current Dragon Head of the Beggars' Union.
"We weren't planning to expose it right away, were we? The Myeong Family won't be able to provoke us recklessly, so we agreed beforehand to investigate their misdeeds quietly and then expose them."
"That's right."
"Actually, since we arrived in Sang-gu, I've been thoroughly investigating businesses and information groups related to the Myeong Family, but I haven't found any useful information yet."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"I don't know. Something's happened recently. It's different from when I investigated last time. They're suppressing information tightly."
Ga Deuk-sang clicked his tongue.
"So, I'm going to ask my master to step in. He's half-retired from the Gangho, and he's preparing to hand over the leadership, but he won't refuse if I ask him to get involved in this."
That was likely. The Beggars' Union's chivalry was as famous as the Shaolin Temple's compassion.
'But is that really okay?'
He had no information about Ga Deuk-sang's master. He only remembered that he was a leader who had received praise for being 'excellent.'
'That's the problem.'
The modifier 'excellent' bothered him. In the Orthodox Murim, praise for being 'excellent' could also mean not being aggressive.
This matter couldn't be handled that way.
It had to be dealt with aggressively, thoroughly, and decisively, so that the opponent could never raise their head again.
Lost in thought, Yeon Ho-jeong suddenly asked.
"What do you think?"
"Huh? About what?"
"The Nine Great Families and the Murim Family. Which one do you think would be harder to bring down?"
Ga Deuk-sang frowned.
"Why are you asking such a question all of a sudden?"
"Just tell me."
"Well, it's like asking which is harder to deal with, a tiger or a lion..."
"Then, let's think about which one lives in a more precarious environment."
"Good grief."
Despite grumbling, Ga Deuk-sang fell into thought. The Yeon Ho-jeong he had seen so far wasn't a man who asked such questions without a reason.
'Which one is harder to bring down?'
After much thought, Ga Deuk-sang finally gave his answer.
"Just my opinion..."
"Hu-gae's opinion?"
"Well, I'd say the Murim Family."
It was an unexpected answer. The Nine Great Families surpassed the Murim Family in terms of power, yet he said the Murim Family was harder to bring down.
"The reason?"
"History, and public opinion."
"I think the same."
The Nine Great Families had made great contributions during the Blood Cult incident three hundred years ago.
But making contributions didn't necessarily mean a family would grow significantly. They had built their power through painstaking effort, and their martial arts had also improved dramatically.
That was up to two hundred years ago. After that, the Nine Great Families became known as the martial families representing the Central Plains.
That history was one hundred years.
"The Yeon Family and the Myeong Family have shorter histories compared to the other Five Great Families. History is the foundation. No matter how large a force is, a force with a short history is relatively more vulnerable to danger."
"That's right."
"From that perspective, the Nine Great Families are easier to deal with. Besides, the rumors about the Nine Great Families aren't very good."
The Nine Great Families constantly sought to expand their power.
It was natural for a martial arts clan to increase its power, but they went beyond the limit. Moreover, they were Orthodox, not Unorthodox.
From the perspective of the Orthodox Murim, the Myeong Family's expansion was excessively worldly.
Despite having power not far behind the Shaolin Temple, the Myeong Family received the worst evaluation among the Seven Great Families.
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes flashed.
'It's impossible to bring down the Myeong Family and the Murim Family at the same time right now.'
Of course. It would be difficult even if he regained his martial prowess from his days as the Black Dark Emperor. It might be possible if he had the foundation of the Black Emperor Castle.
'Besides...'
Even if there was a way, for the sake of the future, burying both at the same time would be a bad move.
'The Three Cults!'
That's right.
The Three Fanatic Cults would one day invade the Central Plains. And to stop them, an outstanding leader like Murim Woo was needed.
Of course, he had no intention of sparing the Murim Family even after joining hands with Murim Woo.
However, not having even met Murim Woo yet, even if there was a way, destroying the Murim Family now would be a mistake.
'Just the power of the Four Yin Cult, one of the Three Cults, turned half of the Central Plains into a sea of blood. To stop the remaining two, the existence of Murim Woo is desperately needed.'
Revenge in the immediate future was important, but the disasters that would come in the future were also important.
'In that case...'
Killing intent filled Yeon Ho-jeong's face.
'I'll have to destroy the Myeong Family first.'
It was better this way.
It was the Murim Family that sent spies to the Yeon Family, but it was the Myeong Family that actually destroyed the family. Even if they were all equally deserving of death, for him, who had directly seen the murderer who killed his family, the Myeong Family was the top priority enemy.
Both for personal anger and for the future, this was the right choice.
Then?
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Ga Deuk-sang with cold eyes.
Ga Deuk-sang flinched involuntarily.
'This guy's eyes are really...'
It was a much scarier look than directly revealing killing intent. It was as if he was thoroughly digging into the depths of a person's heart.
"I'm going to bring down the Myeong Family."
"I know. I don't know if it's possible, though."
"It's possible if you help me."
"Wh-What?"
"It won't be detrimental to you either. The justification is clear, and it will be good for raising the reputation of the Beggars' Union."
Ga Deuk-sang's face turned red. He was getting angry.
"Is that what you think of me? Someone who cares about reputation?"
"Is it bad to care about reputation?"
"......?"
"Everyone lives with desires. You're not a mountain hermit, so is it a sin to desire reputation?"
"Uh... It's not that... Anyway, I'm not that kind of person."
"I know."
"You know, and yet you say that!"
"I know, but for the future, reputation will be necessary. To catch even more vicious bastards."
"......!"
Ga Deuk-sang's face became serious.
"What exactly are you thinking?"
"First, let's send a letter."
"A letter? To whom?"
"Murim Gun."
"......!!"
"It must be sent urgently."
I'll use everything I can.
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