WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Murim in my Hometown ◈
Chapter 67: Aftermath
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Whizz!
The moment he heard a sound cutting through the air, Ban Hoyang veered left. He had definitely dodged it, but a sharp pain stabbed into the back of his right thigh.
“Damn it!”
Running with all his strength, Ban Hoyang lost his balance and fell flat.
After rolling across the ground, he sprang back up and drew his sword.
Won Seogang stopped some distance away.
Ban Hoyang glared at him over the tip of his sword, panting heavily.
Anyone who blocked his path, he killed. That was how he had lived his whole life. If he could not kill them, he ran away with his tail between his legs.
But facing Won Seogang, who radiated a fierce aura, made his mind go blank.
It was over...
Won Seogang was one of the strongest masters in their sect. A Hall Master from an outlying branch like him could never defeat him.
Once his fighting spirit broke, the sword in his hand felt needlessly heavy.
Ban Hoyang threw it aside and pulled a gourd from his robe. He uncorked it and drained its contents in one gulp.
Kuhah!
After running until his heart nearly burst, the liquor made his head spin. His stomach churned, and nausea rose in his throat.
Won Seogang clicked his tongue as though he found it absurd.
“This isn't the time to be guzzling liquor, is it?”
The rush of alcohol gave Ban Hoyang courage. He wiped his mouth and asked, “Left Dharma Protector. Do you still carve statues of Maitreya Buddha?”
“Want one? So you won’t be lonely on the road to the underworld.”
“Do you still believe in Maitreya?”
“I do.”
“Is that so?”
Despite Won Seogang’s unwavering reply, Ban Hoyang’s face remained full of doubt.
“Then do you know when he will come? That Maitreya who is said to be Wusheng Laomu’s agent. When exactly will he descend? Will he truly come 5.67 billion years from now?”
“How could the eyes of ordinary people comprehend the Buddha’s great will?”
Ban Hoyang shook his head.
“A life that cannot even last a hundred years before it rots away. What use is Maitreya after death? The wealth and glory of this world are a hundred times better than the distant Pure Void Fragrant Realm.”
“Is that why you betrayed our sect?”
“Betrayed it? I merely decided to believe in Medicine Buddha instead of Maitreya. They are both Buddhas, aren’t they?”
Ban Hoyang pulled open his collar, revealing the tattoo of Medicine Buddha on his neck as he spoke playfully.
“Whenever I sold opium, I always thought of Medicine Buddha. There is no Buddha better than opium for people suffering in misery.”
“Enough nonsense. Where is the list?”
“If I give you the list, will you let me go?”
“I will kill you as painlessly as possible.”
Won Seogang’s sincere killing intent was met by Ban Hoyang’s venomous gaze.
“There is no list.”
“Did you sell it already?”
“Who knows...”
Ban Hoyang drew out the pause with a sly smile.
“The Martial Alliance?”
“There are plenty of places that would pay more.”
Won Seogang glared at him murderously.
“You bastard, don’t tell me... You handed it to the Eastern Depot?”
“Kuhahahaha!”
Ban Hoyang burst into wild laughter, delighted to have struck a proper blow against the proud Left Dharma Protector of the cult.
Urk!
He suddenly bent forward and vomited blood. Dropping to his knees, he collapsed onto the ground.
Won Seogang, who had done nothing, frowned belatedly.
“...Did you poison the liquor?”
Ban Hoyang grinned, baring bloodstained teeth.
“I added plenty of Paralysis Powder too. I hate pain. Cough, cough. Left Dharma Protector... Prepare your neck and wait. A guest will be coming from Tianshan. The Ming Cult bastards are furious. They realized our sect had gotten involved in brokering the opium trade. Damn it, everyone is just trying to make a living... Cough, cough. Haaah...”
Before Won Seogang could do anything, Ban Hoyang stopped breathing.
Though his breathing had ceased, Won Seogang drove his sword into the traitor’s heart to make certain he was dead.
Ban Hoyang’s robes held only a heavy money pouch and a few trivial belongings.
Won Seogang searched his clothes carefully. He felt something long and hard in the front of his robe.
He cut the cloth sewn into the lining with a dagger and found a small bamboo tube.
Inside was a roll of oiled paper.
He held the densely written tiny letters up to the moonlight. Familiar names caught his eye.
Won Seogang clenched his empty fist until it trembled.
There was no doubt about it. It contained the addresses and membership list of the Central Plains Foreign Branch.
It was a tremendous relief that he had recovered it before it fell into someone else’s hands.
If this had made its way to the government offices or the imperial court, the organization remaining in the Central Plains would have been completely destroyed.
Hooo...
As he let out a heavy sigh that seemed drawn from deep within his lungs, his whole body went limp.
Then Ban Hoyang’s final words echoed in his ears.
A guest will be coming from Tianshan...
It had already been more than seventy years since their sect had been driven from the Central Plains and retreated to the northern frontier.
It had been about that long since they began their strange coexistence with the Ming Cult, which had settled in Tianshan first.
There had been many small and large disputes, but none had led to bloodshed. The gods they served were different, but their roots were the same. There was no reason they could not coexist.
But it seemed they had reached their limit.
Perhaps it was only natural. Everyone was struggling to survive in that barren land.
Whoever comes, I will welcome them. Running will solve nothing...
Won Seogang tucked the list into his robe and rose.
He left the traitor’s body for hungry wild beasts and headed back toward Seochon.
* * *
When flames rose from the Black Night Gang, all of Seochon was thrown into an uproar.
Residents who had rushed out of bed gathered together, watching the fire and murmuring among themselves.
The homes bordering the Black Night Gang hurriedly drew water to wet their roofs and walls.
The constables on patrol moved busily as well.
It was a dry winter. If the fire spread beyond the walls, all of Seochon could become a sea of flames.
Everyone watched anxiously, but quite a few people hoped the Black Night Gang would fall into a hell of fire and be reduced to ash.
I stayed overnight at Won Seogang’s annex in Simhyang Pavilion.
Jeok Chuyeong’s condition was stable.
He was weak enough that it would not have been strange if he died at any moment, but he was no worse than when he had been in Wolong Hall.
Hwang Gangju and Hoyeongeom’s group also returned and rested in their respective rooms.
With no rooms left, Jin Seokman warmed himself by a brazier beside the training ground.
Of the seven martial artists who had entered the Black Night Gang, only Won Seogang’s whereabouts were unknown.
When I asked Hwang Gangju, who had moved with him, he said Won Seogang had gone to find Ban Hoyang.
Ban Hoyang was an enemy he had waited a long time to kill, so I doubted it would end quickly.
Meanwhile, the flames that had completely swallowed Five-Phoenix Hall licked their red tongues toward the moon in the night sky.
The spectators’ fear and cries of dismay reached their peak.
Fortunately, the fire did not spread. It slowly died down after burning only Five-Phoenix Hall.
Won Seogang did not return until dawn.
“We can discuss the details later.”
His face, as he entered with weary steps, looked both relieved and bitter. It seemed he had caught Ban Hoyang and achieved what he had wanted.
By noon, the fire had gone out completely, leaving only white smoke. The whole village reeked of acrid burning.
I did not return home that day and remained beside Jeok Chuyeong.
Hwang Gangju and Hoyeongeom’s group received the rest of their payment from Won Seogang and left. Jin Seokman also quietly disappeared.
I caught some sleep in a corner and ate the meals the servants brought.
I had slept and filled my stomach, but there was nothing I could do about my noticeably reduced internal energy.
During the approximately two to four hours I spent in the Black Night Gang, I had not used that much, yet I had consumed a full twenty percent of my internal energy.
No matter how many times I checked because I could not believe it, nothing changed.
It was terribly disappointing and wasteful, but it had been the best choice in that situation.
The slight emptiness in my dantian continued to bother me. I considered retrieving the pills hidden at home to replenish it, but shook my head.
It was too dangerous to circulate energy and regulate the breath outside my home.
Bok Hagyu finally came to see me the following afternoon.
“Have you finished cleaning things up?”
“Not yet. The men who went to take over the Blood History Gang’s businesses have returned, so that is one less worry for now.”
Bok Hagyu looked terribly tired and haggard.
It seemed he had barely rested while putting out the fire and dealing with the aftermath despite his sword wounds.
Still, the reward was certain.
The Black Night Gang had now completely fallen into Bok Hagyu’s hands. Jeok Chuyeong was unconscious, making Bok Hagyu its true master.
Bok Hagyu pushed the two wooden boxes he had placed on the table toward me.
“Open them.”
The long box contained an ornate sword. I held it with both hands and drew it about two handspans to inspect the blade.
The name engraved along one side of the blade, its cold edge gleaming, caught my eye.
‘Solar-Origin Elemental Sword.’
I had heard that sword name somewhere before.
When I opened the smaller box, a rich, damp scent of grass rushed out. The moment I breathed it in deeply, my mind felt refreshed.
A palm-sized spirit herb with broad leaves lay on red silk.
There was no label, but I thought I knew what it was.
It was likely Gaho Water Lotus Herb.
The spirit herb offered as the runner-up prize at the Baekgye County Martial Combat Tournament.
I had shut my eyes and entered that tournament to obtain it, yet it had ended up in my hands like this...
You truly could not know what lay ahead in life.
The thought that I could train without worrying about internal energy for a while made my heart pound fiercely.
If I were alone, I would have rejoiced freely, but Bok Hagyu was sitting before me. It would not do to react too strongly to the spirit herb.
After calming myself and putting on an expressionless face, I asked casually, “The sword looks useful, but what is this weed?”
“It belonged to that old man Ha Eulsan.”
“Is it edible?”
“If you do not want it, I will give you something else.”
Bok Hagyu reached for the box. I quickly pulled it toward myself and closed the lid.
“Fine. We'll go with this. It doesn't look bad.”
I could sell the sword through the Hao clan, and the spirit herb was guaranteed by the Black Market herbalist.
If I properly prepared it and made pills, I would have more than enough left after replenishing the internal energy I had spent at the Black Night Gang.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want to bring the Gang Leader back to our headquarters.”
Of course.
There was no way he would simply give me a precious sword and spirit herb instead of silver or a bank draft.
This was Jeok Chuyeong’s price.
He seemed worried that I would keep Jeok Chuyeong imprisoned at the Hao clan branch and refuse to let him go.
Bok Hagyu had suffered considerable losses in the Black Night Gang’s internal conflict. If he clashed with the Hao clan now, the gang itself could be finished.
But he could not keep leaving the Gang Leader in someone else’s hands.
From my perspective, it would also be difficult to keep Jeok Chuyeong with me.
This was the Hao clan and the annex where Won Seogang was staying.
Won Seogang had no need for Jeok Chuyeong. The Pavilion Master also had no reason to detain the leader of a Black Path gang and clash with Bok Hagyu.
If I took him to my home, Bok Hagyu would not sit quietly.
“Take him. But let me see Gang Leader Jeok from time to time.”
“I will. I will inform my subordinates, so come to the Black Night Gang whenever you wish.”
Since I agreed so readily, Bok Hagyu’s expression softened as though a weight had been lifted from him.
“The Hao clan branch head says they want to speak with Squad Leader Bok about Seochon’s future.”
“Hoo... All right. I will arrange a meeting soon.”
“I asked the Hao clan to provide a hideout and protection. I have not paid them yet.”
“I will take care of it.”
Perhaps eager to return quickly, Bok Hagyu nodded without much hesitation.
There was one more issue that needed resolving.
“What will you do about Azure Cloud Martial Academy? You need to deal with the Blood History Gang remnants who put out that contract too.”
“I have already placed an assassination commission with the Assassins’ League. For Azure Cloud Martial Academy and the Blood History Gang remnants as well.”
I had expected him to storm in and smash them apart himself, but an assassination commission. And with the Assassins’ League, no less...
“I didn't know you had connections to the Assassins’ League?”
“Using the Gang Leader’s old connections, I barely managed it through several intermediaries. They squeezed an enormous brokerage fee out of me. It isn't something I would do twice.”
“Did you use that Transit Plaque thing?”
Bok Hagyu narrowed his eyes and asked reluctantly, “Where did you hear about the Transit Plaque?”
“Seondo Mu mentioned it. He said that with it, he would be the Gang Leader.”
“Hmph. That idiot might have thought so.”
“The Blood History Gang is one thing, but isn't Azure Cloud Martial Academy unrelated to the Assassins’ League?”
As far as I knew, the only place that trained Child Assassins was the Assassins’ League.
“The Academy Master there used to belong to the Assassins’ League.”
“And yet you placed a commission with them?”
It was utterly absurd, but Bok Hagyu was not that careless.
“After looking into it, I found that the Academy Master was an assassin who'd fled during a mission. The Academy Master secretly raised Child Assassins to build a private business. The Assassins’ League had been searching desperately for the Academy Master too. The Academy Master was so secretive that the League couldn't find the location until now. Since they accepted the commission, Azure Cloud Martial Academy might as well already be finished. Every gang deals harshly with traitors, but the Assassins’ League is infamous for being ruthless and thorough. The Blood History Gang bastards will be no different.”
After we spoke a little longer, Bok Hagyu loaded Jeok Chuyeong into a carriage and returned to the Black Night Gang.
After seeing him off at the annex entrance, I returned to the room, fastened my long saber at the back of my waist, and slung my bundle over my shoulder.
Ignoring the strange looks of the gatekeepers, I left Simhyang Pavilion.
I wanted to go home immediately and replenish my internal energy. But there was something I needed to do first.
Had that boy opened his eyes yet...?
I glanced toward Pungcheon Inn, where Pungchil was probably easing his hunger with wheat noodles by now, then headed for Old Physician Sang.
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