WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 10: Do You Think We're a Joke? (1)

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The days following Taejeong's death had been peaceful.

So far, his death had affected everyone positively. Wang Gon, who had been directly connected to him, had yet to return.

Thanks to that, the merchants had been able to enjoy a peace they had not known in a long time.

Im Chung and Beon Saeng both had much on their minds, but neither showed it.

Baek Socheon's routine remained unchanged as well.

He worked silently during the day, then immersed himself in his own training once his duties were over.

Every now and then, he undertook special training. Tonight was one such night.

Baek Socheon was climbing the sheer cliff of the tallest rugged mountain near Wencheng with his bare hands.

He was not simply climbing it, either. The leather bag he had brought when he took up his post was strapped to his back.

Without internal energy, a fall from this height would leave him gravely injured.

Baek Socheon focused, gripping the rock tightly with his fingertips.

Everyone believed Baek Socheon was broken, but he had never once given up on recovering his martial arts.

Over the past three years, he had pushed his body to its limits and expanded those limits. Others might have thought the intensity excessively harsh, but Baek Socheon had carefully adjusted it according to a thorough plan.

His body had already recovered to its condition before his injury. No, it was even stronger than before. It was a miraculous result born from his desperate desire to make up for his lack of internal energy.

Relying on that hardened body, Baek Socheon continued toward the summit. He nearly slipped and fell, but he did not give up.

At last, he reached the top of the cliff.

He tossed the heavy leather bag aside and sprawled flat on the ground.

"Huff, huff, huff, huff, huff."

Baek Socheon let out the breath he had been holding. As the tension left his body, soreness and exhaustion rushed in. Climbing such a steep cliff while carrying a heavy load was practically madness.

When he had first begun training after rising from his sickbed, he had enjoyed feeling his body improve and his stamina grow. As the training continued, though, it became truly grueling.

It was grueling training meant to push him past his limits. He wanted to quit every single day. Once he finished training, curses came out on their own. That was even more true when the training involved extreme danger like it did today.

"Damn it! Fuck! I'm done! I'm never training again. If I ever do this again, I'm a damn dog. A dog!"

How long had he lain there like that?

Baek Socheon's breathing eventually settled.

Then, a voice from that unforgettable day echoed in his mind.

-Three years will be enough. By then, you'll know my words were true.

Baek Socheon opened his eyes wide and raised himself, barking like a dog.

"Don't make me laugh. I'll prove you were full of shit."

He leaped to his feet and opened the leather bag he had tossed beside him.

It was filled with all sorts of things, like a treasure pouch.

Baek Socheon took out guards for his wrists and shins. At a glance, they looked like protective gear, but they had been made of steel for training.

After fastening them to his limbs, Baek Socheon moved around to test them.

"Ugh, they're damn heavy."

His training had now moved on to the next stage.

Swearing to himself that he would not take them off even if his life were in danger, he pulled a thick martial arts manual from the leather bag.

Its title had been erased, so he could not tell what manual it was, but it concerned internal energy and cultivation methods. It was worn ragged from how many times he had read it.

Baek Socheon sat on the edge of the cliff and began reading.

"Couldn't they write this more simply?"

At times, he grumbled.

"Ah!"

At others, he exclaimed in admiration. He diligently read the manual he had pored over for the past three years as though he were seeing it for the first time.

Just then, the moon, hidden behind the clouds, quietly emerged. It offered a little help to his determination to somehow find a way forward.

Baek Socheon's efforts continued until dawn.

* * *

"What? Taejeong is dead?"

Wang Gon had just returned from several days away with Black Hand when he received news about the Great Righteous Sect.

"Yes. Taejeong died, and several of his subordinates were arrested."

The sudden news left Wang Gon more dumbfounded than surprised.

"What the hell happened?"

His subordinate explained the circumstances, but Wang Gon still could not understand.

"So his subordinates were arrested by the Murim Alliance branch..."

He could not understand even that part. How could one lock wolves inside a chicken coop? Fine, he could force himself to accept that. What he truly could not understand was this.

"Taejeong went to retrieve his subordinates and died? At the hands of some underling, not even the branch chief?"

"That's right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Heh heh."

Just as the rumors said, the Mythic Gang stood behind the Great Righteous Sect.

Ordinary orthodox sects kept their distance from the Black Society because they did not want to damage their authority and reputation. The Mythic Gang, however, had expanded its organization while taking control of the Black Society in each region.

To a large sect, the money changing hands in the Black Society might seem like pocket change, but that was the thinking of someone who did not understand reality.

The money earned by the Black Society in a single region was astonishingly vast. They had wormed their way into every corner of people's lives and sucked money out like leeches. The Mythic Gang had seized control of the Black Society throughout Zhejiang Province and properly established a means of siphoning off the profits.

"Who killed him?"

"A newcomer who recently arrived at the branch."

"A newcomer?"

"Yes. They say it was an accident. Taejeong was hit by that newcomer's kick, fell over, and died."

"Did he get hit by the Shadowless Kick or something?"

"Well... it appears he struck his head when he fell."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely. Many people witnessed it."

"Stupid bastard. What rotten luck!"

It had taken a great deal of time and effort to turn Taejeong into a reliable subordinate. Black Society members did not offer loyalty just because someone overwhelmed them with strength. The Black Society's ruffians were always ready to stab someone in the back. Just when Taejeong had become reasonably trustworthy, this happened.

"But why did this happen in the first place?"

"It began when someone named Beon Saeng from the branch arrested the Great Righteous Sect's subordinates."

"That bastard was doing fine until now. Why did he suddenly do that?"

"I don't know why."

"We need to restore the Great Righteous Sect first. Is there anyone who can replace Taejeong?"

It did not matter who led it. As long as they listened and filled the tribute quota, Wang Gon would not have cared if the dog tied up in his backyard took the role.

"The most likely candidate was among those who went to the branch with Taejeong, but they died with Taejeong. The next person capable of leading the organization is someone called Jong Bae, but he is currently detained at the Wencheng Branch."

Wang Gon shook his head.

"What a complete mess."

"Oh, and Branch Chief Im came by while you were away."

"How the hell does that bastard manage his subordinates? I really don't like that bastard."

He should have known the moment Im Chung pretended to be incorruptible and refused the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root.

Black Hand, who had been silent until then, spoke.

"I'll go resolve it."

Wang Gon knew exactly how Black Hand would resolve it. He would obviously threaten Beon Saeng, and if Beon Saeng refused to listen, he would beat him half to death until he released Jong Bae. Wang Gon wanted to tell him to do exactly that, but this was not the time.

"Don't make a bigger mess when something important is coming up."

A major venture in Wencheng lay ahead. It was the most important moment in Wang Gon's path to advancement. He could not let the problem grow at a time like this.

"Then what should we do?"

Wang Gon's small eyes narrowed further as a nasty thought came to him.

"Times like this call for a refined solution."

* * *

That afternoon, an unexpected visitor came to the Wencheng Branch.

"Oh, sister-in-law!"

The visitor was Madam Joo, Branch Chief Im Chung's wife. Hearing that his wife had come, Im Chung stepped out of his office.

"Huh? What brings you here?"

His wife rarely came to the branch.

"I came because of this."

She held out a small wooden box. The moment Im Chung saw the familiar object, his expression hardened. He knew what was inside without even opening it. It was the very Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root Wang Gon had tried to give him.

"Someone came to the house and left this."

The person who brought the box had been a frightening-looking martial artist. Worried that she might have accepted something she should not have, she had come all the way here.

Seeing her husband's hardened expression, Madam Joo asked anxiously, "Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"No. Don't worry and go home. Leave this here."

"Are you really all right?"

"I said I'm fine."

Madam Joo turned away uneasily. Her feet were heavy because she had clearly sensed that something was wrong.

"I don't know what's happening, but be careful, dear."

"All right. Get home safely."

Im Chung tried not to show it, but his anger was already boiling over.

Going all the way to his home was an obvious threat. Sending the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root to his wife meant that he had to choose. Would he accept it and do as he was told, or would he put even his family in danger?

'That son of a bitch. He's really pushing it.'

He could forgive many things, but he could not forgive anyone who touched his family.

Beon Saeng approached and asked, "That smells fragrant. What is it?"

"None of your business."

Im Chung picked up the box and headed outside.

"Where are you going?"

Im Chung did not answer and simply left.

It was the first time Beon Saeng had seen him so agitated.

"What could have made him that upset?"

Watching him leave, Baek Socheon suddenly said to Beon Saeng, "Are you close to the branch chief?"

"Of course I am."

"Then follow him."

"Why?"

"A martial artist getting that angry while carrying a box containing a Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root means something has gone terribly wrong."

"Gasp! A Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root?"

Baek Socheon had identified the contents of the box precisely from its scent alone.

"Can you guess who gave it to him?"

Beon Saeng nodded. He had recently met someone who might give something like that. He could roughly piece it together. The Mythic Gang had offered it as a bribe, but Im Chung had refused. So the Mythic Gang had brought it to his house instead.

Beon Saeng knew Im Chung lived only for his family. That was why he was so furious. They had dragged even his family into this.

"Then you know where the branch chief might have gone."

"Yes, I think I do."

"Go quickly."

Beon Saeng could not bring himself to move.

What help could he offer if he rushed over? It would have been the same even if he brought every martial artist in the branch.

Wang Gon's subordinates greatly outnumbered them, and they were not afraid of Murim Alliance martial artists. Black Hand, who was always at Wang Gon's side, was especially terrifying.

The only person Beon Saeng could trust right now was Baek Socheon, standing before him.

"Aren't you coming, Brother?"

"Why would I?"

"Isn't a colleague you work with in danger?"

"We've only known each other for a few days. What colleague?"

"But you're close with me, aren't you?"

"While you're lost in that delusion, your branch chief could be in danger."

"Ah! You're really too much!"

Beon Saeng ran outside.

His urgent footsteps faded away, then came rushing back.

Beon Saeng threw open the door and shouted. He had found the answer that would make Baek Socheon come with him.

"I'm not ordering you as your younger brother. I'm ordering you as your superior at the branch. We're deploying."

Beon Saeng pleaded with desperate eyes.

'Please help.'

Only then did Baek Socheon rise from his seat.

"An order... Fine. As a martial artist of the Murim Alliance, of course I have to obey orders, right?"

Footnotes:

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