WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 149: Salmun 1
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The moment Haryeong regained consciousness, she realised she was inside a carriage, with the man she hated most in the world sitting across from her. She opened her eyes and pushed herself upright.
Tang Yu-shin said nothing, simply staring out the window. He acted as if Haryeong, sitting right in front of him, did not even exist.
“What happened to the two of them?”
She did not want to exchange a single word with him, but she had no choice. Haryeong forced the words out as she glared at Tang Yu-shin.
“They died.”
Haryeong’s eyes shook violently at his answer. She immediately reached for Tang Yu-shin’s throat, but she could not move as she wished.
“The bodies.”
Her eyes were bloodshot, green light flickering deep within them. Her trembling voice seemed ready to break, yet it dripped with murderous intent and hatred for Tang Yu-shin.
“Show me their bodies.”
The wrist Tang Yu-shin held could have been easily snapped with the slightest exertion of force. But he did not do so.
Tang Yu-shin had no affection for a younger sister or blood relatives.
To Tang Yu-shin, Tang Yu-ryeon had been a small seed planted in preparation for any eventuality. Now, it was simply time to harvest its fruit.
“There are none.”
Tang Yu-shin answered in an indifferent voice.
“Do you think any bodies would have remained in that torrent? Not even a trace of them was left behind.”
He was not lying.
Even Tang Yu-shin had found it difficult to withstand the torrent caused by the qi rampage. There was no chance that Cloud Dragon and Sword Dragon, who could easily have died on the spot, had survived after being caught in it.
Still, there was always the slightest possibility. He ordered Salmun assassins to scour the area, but no bodies were found.
‘There is no way they survived.’
Haryeong’s wrist trembled in Tang Yu-shin’s grasp. Her lips opened and closed several times. The green gleam in her bloodshot eyes grew deeper.
Tang Yu-shin watched her for a moment, then released her hand. Haryeong immediately lunged at him.
This time too, she could not move as she wished. Tang Yu-shin’s fingers moved in an instant and struck Haryeong’s meridians. Her body jerked, then went limp as all strength left it.
“A... Aaaagh!”
Haryeong twisted her body as she screamed herself hoarse. Crack, crackle...! Though her body should have been unable to move after her meridians were sealed, it slowly began to stir.
Every movement brought pain intense enough to make her mind go blank, but bodily pain was insignificant compared to the pain in her heart.
She wanted to kill him.
Right now, Haryeong’s mind was filled with nothing but murderous intent toward Tang Yu-shin. Tang Yu-shin rested his chin on his hand as he looked down at her struggling body.
“Your body belongs to the Dang Family. Treat it with care.”
“You... bastard...!”
“Why did you go into the Rift?”
Tang Yu-shin asked.
“Die.”
Naturally, Haryeong had no intention of answering him. Her eyes overflowed with hatred and killing intent. Tang Yu-shin frowned as he looked into them.
“This is for the Dang Family, and for your father. I did not expect you to cooperate willingly, but your eyes are far too disrespectful when turned upon the family head.”
“Die.”
Haryeong spat the word out again. If a person could be killed with nothing but a glare and emotion, Tang Yu-shin would have died hundreds of times already. He clicked his tongue.
The Dang Family possessed numerous poisons capable of drawing out the truth regardless of a person’s will, but that bitch had been trained as an assassin in the Salhomun.
She had developed poison resistance long ago, and her tier was high as well. Unless it was a lethal poison, a confession drug would not easily force her mouth open.
Of course, if he did not care about what came after, there were countless ways to force an answer from her. But Tang Yu-shin could not choose any of them right now.
He wanted her to live in good health and inherit the Primordial Unity Poison. If he fed her too much poison, there was no telling what sort of rejection might occur within her body.
What about forcing her to speak through pain? Would torture work on a bitch who had charged at him even while enduring the agony of the Yin-Yang Twin Gu, a pain no human could withstand?
‘What a nuisance.’
In the end, Tang Yu-shin gave up on making her speak. Her reason for entering the Rift was probably nothing important. She was a woman who had lived a miserable life, so she had probably been desperate for spiritual elixirs.
“Do not do anything foolish.”
Tang Yu-shin’s face twisted with irritation. He moved swiftly, seized Haryeong’s jaw, and forced it open.
“Do you not even know that biting your tongue cannot kill you?”
The taunt in his voice was laced with annoyance. Haryeong spat at him, but the saliva did not come anywhere near Tang Yu-shin.
Still, her disgust clearly reached him, and his expression twisted further.
Smack! Haryeong’s head was slammed into the chair by the slap. Tang Yu-shin struck her meridians once more, shackled her hands and feet, and stuffed a gag into her mouth.
“Do nothing. Stay still.”
With her restrained like that, she would be unable to do anything even if she wanted to. Tang Yu-shin no longer spared Haryeong a glance, closing his eyes and entering meditation.
Grrk, grrk. Haryeong bit down on the gag as she glared at Tang Yu-shin.
‘They died?’
Those two had really died so pointlessly? It made no sense. She did not want to believe it.
‘He said no bodies remained...’
Tang Yu-shin had said no bodies could have remained in that torrent. In other words, he had not personally confirmed their deaths.
‘The Rift rampage...’
A Rift rampage had happened by chance at that moment? That could not be true. Yuri must have done something.
The Rift rampage had been Yuri’s plan to break through that situation. Therefore, Yuri could not be dead.
She was not certain, but Haryeong clung to that thought. She felt that she would not be able to endure otherwise. Yuri and Estor were not dead. They had used the Rift rampage to escape that place.
‘Please.’
Please let them be alive. Haryeong squeezed her eyes shut.
She could feel the weight of Black Fang at her waist.
* * *
Of the Twin Fangs, the dagger Haryeong had originally possessed was White Fang.
White Fang was drawn to Black Fang. A year ago, Haryeong had been able to find Yuri not only because she followed the alias Thunder Cloud, but because of White Fang’s unique trait, which allowed her to reach the Haomun brothel where Yuri was staying.
However, that alone would not be enough to find the Dang Family and Salmun.
It was only natural that the headquarters of assassin sects would be hidden in secrecy.
Even information sects like the Beggars’ Sect or Haomun likely did not know where the Dang Family and Salmun were based. And even if they did, they would not sell that information.
Doing so would mean making complete enemies of the Dang Family and Salmun.
Ordinary people might never learn the locations of the Dang Family and Salmun in their entire lives, but Yuri and Estor did not fall into the category of ordinary people.
The Sword Emperor knew where the Dang Family was based. The Faceless Killer, leader of the Salhomun, likely knew as well.
Yuri also roughly knew where the Dang Family was located through information from the game.
But he could not blindly trust that knowledge. It was information any Transmigrator could know, so there was a possibility that they had moved their headquarters long ago.
So the two first came to Jeokwon, where the Salhomun was located. They had remained wary of pursuit from Salmun throughout the journey, so no one had followed them.
When Yuri came to Jeokwon a year ago, the Faceless Killer had found him first, so he had never visited the Salhomun. But he had sent word ahead, so the Faceless Killer would contact him.
‘That crazy fuck Tang Yu-shin would not try to kill me in the middle of this city, would he?’
At this point, Yuri almost wished he would. Still, unless Tang Yu-shin had truly lost his mind, that would not happen.
White Snow Trading Company.
It was a trading company run by the Yeonri Family, one of the Righteous Sect’s Five Great Families, with branches in most cities across the continent. Yuri and Estor were currently staying at the White Snow Trading Company’s estate in Jeokwon.
The moment they left the Rift of Kang Yu, they stopped by the White Snow Trading Company in the nearest city and showed them the jade token.
Word had apparently been sent ahead. They were immediately received by the branch manager, and Yuri asked that Baek Eun-mu-hu be told to come to the White Snow Trading Company in Jeokwon.
He did not know how long it would take, but it had been Baek Eun-mu-hu who said a year ago that, if Yuri used the jade token, she would move as quickly as possible.
‘Who will arrive first?’
Baek Eun-mu-hu, setting out from the Yeonri Family after seeing the jade token?
The Sword Emperor, enraged by the news and leaving Panteleon behind?
Or the Faceless Killer, drawn out by the bait Yuri had laid?
Yuri learned the answer on the second day at the White Snow Trading Company.
“Where is Haryeong?”
The voice came from outside the door. It was completely different from the one Yuri had heard before, but he immediately knew it belonged to the Faceless Killer.
“Come in.”
The door opened as soon as Yuri spoke. A man dressed like one of the estate workers strode into the room.
The moment the door closed, his entire skeletal structure and face shifted. He became the Faceless Killer Yuri had seen a year ago.
He was a secretive man, connected to the organisation associated with Chuk-sin-doo and Bakerd. But Yuri had not called the Faceless Killer to ask him about that.
“I wondered what had happened when Haryeong’s trail vanished after Gangyu. Did you break up already?”
Only Yuri and Estor were in the spacious room. Haryeong was nowhere to be seen. The Faceless Killer continued with an indifferent expression.
“If Haryeong ran away on her own and vanished, and you came here wondering whether I might know where she is, then you have wasted your trip. I do not know where Haryeong is, and even if I did, I would have no intention of satisfying your curiosity.”
“That is not why I asked to meet you.”
“Since we are speaking of it, I was curious enough to come this time, but you will not be able to summon me like this again.”
At first, when the White Snow Trading Company requested a meeting, he thought he was dreaming. The White Snow Trading Company, backed by the Yeonri Family, wanted to meet the leader of an assassin sect?
It was deeply suspicious, and he had no wish to get involved, so he refused. Yet after disguising himself and infiltrating the White Snow Trading Company estate, he had ended up dancing in Yuri’s palm.
“If you try this sort of trick again, I will make you pay the price, young hero.”
After saying that, the Faceless Killer turned around. He had said what he wanted to say and clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation.
He assumed Yuri and Haryeong had temporarily separated because of a minor disagreement. He did not want to be caught up in a lovers’ quarrel.
“She can be like a cat that refuses to listen. Leave her alone, and she will return on her own. So...”
“The Dark King took Haryeong away.”
The Faceless Killer, who had been about to open the door and leave, froze.
“He tried to kill us too, but we barely survived by luck.”
“...”
“Did you know the Yin-Yang Twin Gu had been planted inside Haryeong?”
Yuri did not know exactly what relationship Haryeong and the Faceless Killer had. But it did not seem to be merely that of sect leader and disciple.
It was not just Haryeong’s attitude. The Faceless Killer’s attitude had been the same. When Yuri met him alone a year ago, the Faceless Killer had changed his mind after hearing Yuri speak sincerely about Haryeong.
“The Dark King said that Haryeong must inherit the Poison King’s poison, now that he has become a poison creature. He said she will never be able to leave the Dang Family for the rest of her life.”
If Haryeong were dragged to the Dang Family against her will.
The Faceless Killer had said that he would first go to the Dang Family, hear their reasons, and judge for himself.
If it was a family matter beyond his interference, he would step back. But if it was not, he would make it an issue between sects.
“Leader of the Salhomun. You know where Salmun and the Dang Family are, do you not?”
“...I do. Is that why you called me here?”
“What other reason would there be?”
“What do you intend to do when you get there?”
“What is the point of asking something so obvious? Of course, we are getting Haryeong back. And while we are at it, we might kill that Dark King bastard too.”
“Do you think that is possible?”
The Faceless Killer gave a hollow laugh as he asked. Yuri’s face twisted.
“Leader of the Salhomun. I did not call you here to have you judge whether it is possible or not.”
His temper flared, and his tone naturally changed. Yuri glared at the Faceless Killer as he continued.
“I am not planning to ask you to help fight Salmun, the Dang Family, and that Dark King bastard. There are plenty of people who will help besides you. What I want from you is the exact location of the Dang Family.”
“The Sword Emperor was an old friend of the Poison King. He will know where the Dang Family is.”
The Faceless Killer’s gaze turned to Estor.
“So there is no reason you must hear the answer from me. You must be in quite a hurry.”
“Why do you keep asking obvious questions? Of course I am in a hurry. I do not know what may be happening to Haryeong while we waste time like this.”
The time it would take Baek Eun-mu-hu to arrive at the White Snow Trading Company as quickly as possible.
The time it would take the Sword Emperor to prepare, set out, and arrive on the Eastern Continent.
Yuri could not afford to waste any of it.
“Leader of the Salhomun. Are you really not bothered by this?”
“...”
“If you truly do not care and do not want to get involved, then you can leave. I do not want to grab the leg of someone who does not want to help and beg them to stay. But if you walk out now, then your relationship with Haryeong ends today.”
“That is not for you to decide, young hero.”
“What kind of sect leader stays silent and does nothing while a disciple of their sect ends up in such a fucked up situation?”
A scarlet gleam flashed in Yuri’s eyes. It looked like blood, yet it also looked like fire. The Faceless Killer watched Yuri for a moment, then slowly turned his head.
“First, there is something I must correct.”
The Faceless Killer did not move any closer to the door. Instead, he walked deeper into the room.
“It is true that I am the leader of the Salhomun. It is true that Haryeong is a disciple of the Salhomun. But that is not the entirety of our relationship, and you can never sever that bond.”
“...What are you talking about?”
“Jeong Hee-so, Haryeong’s mother, was once my elder sister.”
Once.
Jeong Hee-so was a Transmigrator. It was true that her body had belonged to the Faceless Killer’s elder sister, but Jeong Hee-so, Haryeong’s mother, was not the Faceless Killer’s elder sister.
The Faceless Killer gave a bitter smile and sat heavily in a corner of the room.
“Our blood is still connected. That makes us blood relatives, and you cannot easily sever that bond, young hero.”
“...”
“By staying at the White Snow Trading Company, have you decided to accept the Yeonri Family’s help? How surprising. The Yeonri Family may be powerful, but they are not a family that would confront the Dang Family without cause or profit.”
“Baek Eun-mu-hu has agreed to lend us her strength.”
Yuri cleared his throat before speaking.
“I have also contacted the Orsia Family.”
“Huh...”
The Faceless Killer clicked his tongue.
“Are you planning to destroy Salmun and the Dang Family?”
The Sword Emperor and Baek Eun-mu-hu were both masters among the highest ranks of the Martial Apex Venerables.
“That is not for me to decide.”
Yuri spoke, then flinched as his shoulders tensed.
Thud, thud, thud! Loud footsteps echoed from the corridor. The owner of those footsteps, packed full of barely restrained irritation, threw open the door without even asking permission.
“It has been a long time.”
Yuri immediately stood and bowed deeply. Baek Eun-mu-hu, breathing heavily, was about to speak when she spotted the Faceless Killer sitting blankly in the corner.
“Who are you?”
“He is the leader of the Salhomun.”
Yuri answered for him, and Baek Eun-mu-hu’s eyes widened.
“What...? Why is the leader of the Salhomun here?”
“He says he will help us attack the Dang Family.”
“Young hero, let us be accurate. I have not said that I intend to attack the Dang Family. I will simply go there and take Haryeong back.”
The Faceless Killer answered immediately. Baek Eun-mu-hu’s mouth fell halfway open.
“What did you say?”
She had come because of the promise tied to the jade token, but what kind of absurd nonsense was this?
“Attack the Dang Family?”
“Yes.”
Baek Eun-mu-hu asked haltingly, and Yuri nodded firmly.
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