CH 19
– Near Wolha Village.
Thud, thud, thud.
A middle-aged man in a black robe dashes through the forest path with surprisingly agile movements.
His name is Yongtae.
A former warrior of Horongdang and now the leader of the Black Dragon Faction.
The reason he runs, drenched in sweat, is simple.
Jang Yi-seo. It was his urgent request.
‘You. If you’re not busy, summon someone.’
‘Who do you mean……?’
‘Horongdang.’
Horongdang (虎龍堂, Tiger Dragon Hall).
One of the Five Dragon Halls—Cheonsan’s highest administrative bodies—tasked with security and protection.
Comparable to the Ministry of Justice among the Six Ministries.
They were tiger cubs known for hunting criminals.
Though the fight began with the opponent’s provocation, such carnage within the premises was undeniably criminal and required investigation.
Thus, Horongdang’s arrival at Wolha Village would end all conflict.
Especially since villagers were threatened this time—it couldn’t be dismissed as a private family matter.
That’s why he had to hurry…….
“Ugh, breathless. Wait. I just lost a few years off my lifespan.”
Yongtae grips a tree, dizzy, catching his breath. How long had it been since he last sprinted this hard? His head throbbed.
“H-Hyungnim!”
Soon, Meoki appears, drenched in sweat and pale as a ghost.
“Huff, huff.”
“Breathe! Spit it out! Don’t just swallow it, brat!”
“Hooah……”
“There. Good.”
As Yongtae pats Meoki’s back, the latter slumps to the ground like a soul-less husk.
“Tch, damn.”
Yongtae clicks his tongue and scans the surroundings. The rugged mountains blocked the sky, and the path to Horongdang stretched endlessly.
At this rate, even running nonstop would only get them there by midnight.
“Hyungnim…… We’ll die before we make it.”
“Didn’t you see Wang’s hands dripping blood earlier? Those Slaughterhouse bastards…… They’re dead serious this time. Who knows what they’ll do. We’re supposed to protect Wolha Village, aren’t we?”
“But we’ve been hiding all this time……”
“Hey, brat! I’ve made up my mind! Huh? Those Slaughterhouse rats—I’ll just crush ’em! Got it?”
What nonsense was he spouting? Yongtae rambled wildly until—
“What did you say about the Slaughterhouse?”
“What’s there to explain? They hurt the villagers! I need to meet the leader and settle this…… Wait, who am I talking to?”
Belatedly realizing the situation, Yongtae’s eyes widen.
Sssss.
An indescribably oppressive aura floods the air. Gulping, Yongtae glances sideways and sees Meoki’s eyes trembling like aspen leaves.
Shit. Something’s here. As Yongtae slowly turns his head—
“Aaaaaah!”
He collapses like a puppet with cut strings.
There stood a towering man stroking his majestic black beard, flanked by five or six subordinates.
A tiger-patterned belt. A martial uniform blending black and yellow stripes. The character “虎” (tiger) emblazoned on his shoulder.
In Cheonsan, only one man loved tigers this fiercely.
“Ho-Horongdang has arrived……”
Should’ve warned me sooner, you little shit! Cold sweat beads on Yongtae’s forehead.
The real problem wasn’t Horongdang’s presence.
It was who that black-bearded man was.
Yongtae swallows hard, then kowtows and shouts:
“Yongtae pays respects to the Hall Master!”
Not the deputy. Not the vice leader. The Hall Master himself.
Indeed.
The head of Horongdang, a second-rank noble—a titan among titans.
The cunning tiger, Ji Daeho.
“Th-the Hall Master……. Hiiiiik!”
Finally grasping the situation, Meoki too faceplants onto the ground.
They’d met the leader of Horongdang not in a village or landmark, but on a nameless mountain path.
“Rest.”
“Rest!”
At Ji Daeho’s command, Yongtae springs upright. He kicks the still-prostrating Meoki to his feet.
Ji Daeho scrutinizes them with piercing eyes and speaks.
“Yongtae.”
“Yes!”
“I heard you left Horongdang to become a thug. Yet a rat who should’ve hidden forever dares confront me?”
“N-no, sir! I-I meant settling matters through discussion! Both sides judging right and wrong—”
“Heh. Right and wrong?”
Ji Daeho laughs, gums bared. Did it work? As Yongtae and Meoki tentatively smile—
Rooooar! A phantom roar shakes the air as Ji Daeho looms forward.
“Good. Lie once, and you’ll pay dearly. You claimed the Slaughterhouse harmed villagers?”
“Y-yes! Correct!”
“Where?”
The situation had spiraled beyond control.
Yongtae’s face crumpled like a child about to weep.
*
Ji Daeho and Yongtae arrive at Wolha Village.
Though fearing the conflict might’ve ended, Hongye Bridge still bore ample evidence:
Bloodstains on the bridge. Corpses floating in the lake.
“What madness…… Turn the village inside out!”
Ji Daeho barks immediately.
“Yes!”
Horongdang’s warriors scatter into the village like shafts of light.
Thud, thud.
Ji Dae-ho stepped inside slowly, his eyes scanning the surroundings with caution.
A corpse hung over the railing of Moonlight Lake. Another floated lifelessly in the water.
The manner of death varied.
Some were stabbed to death. Others were beaten to death.
But one thing was clear to Ji Dae-ho, a seasoned investigator.
‘A master. All of them were killed by a single master.’
It was hard to wrap his head around.
It wasn’t hard to guess why the Butcher’s Guild, infamous from the Tian Shan Mountains to the Central Plains, had ventured into this backwater village.
The Seventh Prince—again.
Hadn’t Ji Dae-ho personally handled cases tied to him before?
But this…
As Ji Dae-ho reached the end of the Hongye Bridge, his subordinates, who had run ahead, returned and bowed their heads to report.
“My lord. So far, twenty-nine corpses have been discovered. There are no others, and all are members of the Butcher’s Guild.”
Huh. Not just one or two, but twenty-nine? This was no ordinary incident.
Ji Dae-ho furrowed his brow and muttered softly.
“Yong-tae.”
“Yes?”
“You lied to me.”
“Me? No, I didn’t! These are definitely members of the Butcher’s Guild!”
“It’s not that the Butcher’s Guild attacked people… Someone attacked them!”
“No, that’s…!”
Yong-tae’s eyes bulged. This possibility hadn’t even crossed his mind.
‘Wait. So that aide killed them all?’
It couldn’t have been the villagers. Instantly, Yong-tae and Mae-gi felt a chill crawl down their spines. They knew he was from the intelligence division, but they’d never imagined he was this skilled.
“My lord. The last traces seem to lead to the Seventh Prince’s Palace.”
“Hmm…”
A heavy sigh escaped Ji Dae-ho’s lips. The Seventh Prince’s Palace—even if it was now a hollow shell of its former glory, Ji Dae-ho, a man of principle, couldn’t investigate it without evidence.
But he couldn’t retreat quietly, either, not when the Seventh Prince might be in danger.
“Everyone, wait here. I must pay my respects to the Seventh Prince.”
Shing!
Ji Dae-ho, lord of the Ho-ryong Hall, drew the sword from his waist and handed it to a subordinate before stepping alone into the bamboo forest.
What in the world had happened here?
He needed to find out.
– Seventh Prince’s Palace, Wolha Village.
“Get up already. If someone sees us like this, they’ll misunderstand.”
“My leg’s cramping.”
“What?”
Jang Yi-seo gestured for Mao, still kneeling, to rise.
Mao shook his head firmly, clicked his tongue with his index finger, and smeared saliva on his nose and forehead.
What ancient superstition is this? Jang Yi-seo stifled a laugh.
Their relaxed expressions made it clear they’d grown closer.
With a sigh, Jang Yi-seo grabbed Mao’s shoulder to pull him up. But then—
“Stop. Move another finger, and your head flies off.”
Sssss.
A vicious killing intent washed over him, like a beast emerging from the shadows.
Jang Yi-seo turned slowly.
His pupils dilated as he recognized the figure in an instant.
‘The Cunning Tiger, Ji Dae-ho!’
Ji Dae-ho might not know Jang Yi-seo, but Jang Yi-seo knew him all too well—a power player, lord of the Ho-ryong Hall, and a top-30 observation target in the Demon Sect.
“Seventh Prince, step aside.”
“I’d like to, but my leg…”
Ji Dae-ho stared at Mao’s bent knee, aghast.
“Did you break it?”
“No! Why would you jump to that?!”
“I’ll hear the details at the main hall.”
“What… Hup!”
Roar!
With a tiger-like bellow, Ji Dae-ho lunged forward.
Fast.
Jang Yi-seo tensed, dodging sideways just as the attack arrived.
Whoosh!
A gale of force whipped past his ear. Even that glancing brush revealed overwhelming power—this was no ordinary foe.
“Not bad!”
Ji Dae-ho, sharing the sentiment, unleashed a relentless barrage. Papapapap! Jang Yi-seo blocked frantically, stumbling backward.
Ugh. The impact…
The bone-crushing force made him understand why Ji Dae-ho was called “the Tiger.” Fighting an actual tiger might’ve been easier.
Agony surged through him. A warning screamed in his mind:
‘Keep this up, and I’m dead.’
“Let’s see you block this!”
Roar! Ji Dae-ho’s fist reeled back, poised to finish him.
But in that moment, light flashed in Jang Yi-seo’s eyes.
‘An opening!’
His body moved reflexively.
Crack!
The gentle flow of energy from his dantian transformed into lightning, engulfing him instantly.
『Thunder Shift Technique』
Before Ji Dae-ho’s fist landed, Jang Yi-seo’s palm struck his chest.
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
Ji Dae-ho staggered back five steps, clutching his chest.
“Ah…”
Jang Yi-seo exhaled nervously. Ji Dae-ho stared at his own chest, disbelief etched on his face.
“You.”
When he looked up again, his eyes blazed with unmatched fury.
He wasn’t just angry.
He was enraged.
“This is a huge misunderstanding—”
“I’ll show you my true strength!”
With another roar, the tiger went berserk.
#OnlyTwoForNow (2)
