Chapter 102: Chapter 102
Gwa-pyeong muttered with a face as if the world had collapsed.
“No wonder. I had a bad feeling ever since that Flying Dragon Hall Master showed up. I really stepped in it this time. Damn it…”
What a strange man. He clearly feared the Demonic Cult. Then what on earth was he thinking, causing such massive trouble?
Perhaps sensing Jang I-seo’s gaze, Gwa-pyeong cautiously spoke.
“Then why did the Flying Dragon Hall attack me? Aren’t you on the same side?”
“Well, it’s a common occurrence in our cult. It’s a place so accustomed to fighting that yesterday’s friend becomes today’s enemy.”
“Truly a bunch without a shred of loyalty.”
And bandits have loyalty? Jang I-seo snorted.
“Nothing to see there. At least we were just struggling to survive.”
“Is ruining perfectly fine people with Soul-Befuddling Powder, kidnapping, and theft what you call struggling? That’s called evil.”
“I know. But that’s… Wait, why am I getting a lecture about this from you, a demonic artist? Isn’t justice more useless than dog shit in your world?”
“…”
He had a point. It was unfair, but he had no rebuttal.
As Jang I-seo fell silent, Gwa-pyeong snorted and continued.
“At least we don’t kill everyone regardless of age or gender just because they displease us like you people do.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Why did the countless tribes living near Cheonsan fear the Demonic Cult in particular?
There was one reason.
Retaliatory punishment inflicted on those who disrespected the cult.
Annihilation of the family, annihilation of the clan, annihilation of the lineage.
The so-called Law of Three Annihilations.
Because of it, countless tribes and sects had perished.
For looking the wrong way, for being annoying, for not pleasing someone. Every excuse imaginable was used.
A truly bitter reality.
As a shadow fell over Jang I-seo’s face, Gwa-pyeong eyed him with interest this time.
He was the first to so readily acknowledge the Demonic Cult’s atrocities.
Wasn’t the Demonic Cult supposed to be brimming with pride, burning everything to the root the moment someone provoked them?
“You’re a really strange one.”
“Our cult is originally a place where only strange people gather. By our standards, I’m on the normal side.”
“Heh. Is that so.”
No, he’s not. Mao and So-o simultaneously denied it, shaking their heads. But there was no room for them to interject.
“As you already know… we are descendants of the Xiongnu.”
Perhaps because Jang I-seo felt a bit different. Or perhaps because he hated being dismissed as mere criminals.
Gwa-pyeong began to speak softly about their situation.
“In the distant past, they say we galloped across the wasteland and dominated the north, but now that’s nothing more than a fairy tale passed down through oral tradition.”
Every civilization has its rise and fall. But the Xiongnu had already passed even their decline, left behind in the back pages of history.
“Now we’re nothing but a poor village with few people left. The kind of village where life is so hard that you have to sell your body on the battlefield from a young age… But it’s also the kind of village where the bonds between people are incredibly strong.”
A gentle smile settled on Gwa-pyeong’s lips. It spoke of deep affection.
“So. You’re trying to say you had no choice but to become bandits. To protect the village?”
“I know it’s sophistry. I won’t deny it. We had to do whatever it took. But it wasn’t just for money.”
“Then?”
“We originally served as soldiers in the Western Regions. It started when defeated soldiers who happened to pass through our village made us an offer.”
I see. Their martial arts and systematic tactics must have all been learned there. Jang I-seo nodded.
“But the war ended within ten years, and we returned to the village. With a fairly hefty sum of money. I think that was probably the happiest time of our lives.”
Gwa-pyeong wore a comfortable smile, as if recalling the memory brought him joy.
“You could have settled somewhere else?”
“As I said earlier, the Xiongnu have strong bonds. We couldn’t abandon the villagers and leave. But we couldn’t take everyone with us either. We thought we could make something work. Back then…”
Gwa-pyeong picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it far away. A lizard eyeing a bug bolted in fright.
“But the only skill we had was fighting. The money we earned ran out quickly, and we withered away. The winter of that year was the crisis. But as they say, there’s no law saying you must die, and a tribe extended us a kindness. So we wanted to repay them. Repaying debts of gratitude is the pride of the Xiongnu.”
The rest of the story didn’t need to be heard to be imagined.
Just as Hong-ran had told him, they had intervened in a war between tribes, and their fateful enmity with the Shan Wang Jia had begun.
“It was a fight we should have lost every time. Everything was against us. But we kept winning. Why? Because we believed that was the only way to repay the kindness we’d received. Then one day, the rival family came to us and said this. Come join our side.”
Gwa-pyeong scowled and gulped down the remaining liquor. His expression showed it still infuriated him even now. The outcome was obvious.
“You refused.”
“Of course. Betraying those who helped us would be a disgrace and an insult to the Xiongnu. So we refused without a second thought. We told the tribe that hired us the same thing. As long as they didn’t give up, we would deliver victory.”
But the war took a completely different turn than the Xiongnu had expected.
The family that had hired them surrendered to the enemy.
And that was the turning point when the Xiongnu’s lives went into a downward spiral.
“We withered and died again. If we had at least died fighting with swords in our hands, it wouldn’t have been so shameful. But they were cruel. No one gave us work. No one shared even a drop of water. Complete ostracism. We were being isolated from this land. Those bastards.”
Gwa-pyeong pounded the innocent ground with his fist, still furious just thinking about it.
It was a typical act of retaliation.
A brutal punishment to ensure they couldn’t gain a foothold anywhere nearby, all because they had refused the offer.
“Wait, why did those bastards go that far?”
Mao, who had been quietly listening, had apparently gotten completely absorbed in the story, and he interjected with a shout. Gwa-pyeong snorted and replied.
“Why? Because they feared our Captain, of course. They didn’t have the confidence to beat him in a fair fight. Cowardly bastards.”
“Your Captain…?”
At Mao’s question, Gwa-pyeong added with a face full of pride.
“The Captain was called the Dragon of the Battlefield in the Western Regions. Do you know why? Because a dragon is not a being that humans dare to oppose.”
“Dragon of War!”
“…Dragon of the Battlefield. Don’t change it to suit yourself.”
Deep curiosity settled in Jang I-seo’s eyes. Gwa-pyeong was clearly a formidable warrior in his own right.
Yet for him to revere someone this much…
He was curious. Just how strong was this Captain?
“So keep that in mind. When we arrive, quietly take your young master and leave. If you try anything funny, the Captain will kill every last one of you.”
“Is that a warning?”
“It’s advice. You seem a bit different from the other demonic artists, at least. Not that I’m saying I like you.”
Jang I-seo chuckled.
Anyway, he understood the situation. The united tribes had pressured the Xiongnu. And they had turned to banditry because they couldn’t make a living.
“But no matter the circumstances, touching Soul-Befuddling Powder crossed the line.”
“That’s…”
FWOOSH.
What was this? In an instant, Gwa-pyeong’s energy shifted. His expression darkened, and a faint killing intent seeped through.
There was something more, tangled up with Guang-yi, that he didn’t know about.
“We always repay the debt of having our lives saved. I’m saying we’ll deliver him to you within the time limit. But that’s it. If you demand accountability beyond that, you’d better be prepared.”
“…Understood.”
This was as far as he could dig. Jang I-seo pulled back.
He would find out when they got there anyway.
No need to scratch a healing wound.
Gwa-pyeong wasn’t in the mood to talk further, so he simply turned over and lay down.
“If you want to save your precious young master, we’ll have to ride all day tomorrow. Better get some sleep, even a little. Wake me in one shi and I’ll take the watch.”
Then he fell asleep in seconds.
The wasteland fell instantly silent.
“What a temper. Anyway, he’s saying we just need to get there, right?”
Mao summed up the situation. When Jang I-seo nodded briefly, he flopped down as well and closed his eyes.
“Fine. Then wake me when you wake that guy up. Don’t know what he might pull. Night!”
And he too was snoring in seconds. The simplicity of both of them was endearing.
With both of them asleep, So-o and Jang I-seo naturally drew the short straw.
A brief silence flowed before Jang I-seo spoke casually.
“Did you erase all the traces?”
The question, of course, was pointed.
“What traces? The traces of my dump?”
“I know you were erasing our trail to make tracking difficult the entire way here. When you went to take care of business earlier, that was to erase the traces leading here too.”
“Haha… Our Adjutant Jang doesn’t miss a thing.”
Every time they stopped at a village to switch to fresh horses, So-o had lingered at the rear and sent the previous horses off in completely different directions.
It was a basic technique for hindering pursuit.
Not the work of an amateur.
“But you knew that and still lit a campfire?”
“Because no one will be chasing us anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means they already know where we’re going.”
“What? Why didn’t you say so!”
“Your technique was impressive. I was curious.”
“Good grief. What a strange personality. Over something I picked up by watching.”
So-o grumbled as if it were nothing.
But Jang I-seo thought differently.
The sign language, the stamina to keep up with a grueling pace. For an inn proprietor who supposedly just sat around selling information, he had too many unusual qualities.
A highly suspicious man in every respect.
However.
“My belated thanks. I appreciate earlier.”
Setting everything else aside, Jang I-seo expressed his gratitude. If So-o hadn’t helped, he would have been in serious trouble with the Flying Dragon Hall.
It was only right to show appreciation.
But.
“Whoa…”
So-o didn’t accept the thanks. Instead, he pulled down the center of his tinted glasses with his index finger, his mouth hanging open. Eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just amazed, our Adjutant Jang. Where did you learn manners like these?”
“Do you need to be taught this to know it?”
“No, even if you’re taught, you wouldn’t know. Not where we come from.”
“Then you’ve lived in vain. Not everyone in the Demonic Cult is like that.”
Is that so? So-o tilted his head. But Jang I-seo was right. Not everyone in the Demonic Cult was rotten. Just as not everyone in the righteous sects was good.
“Anyway, thank you.”
As Jang I-seo offered his thanks again, this time So-o accepted them with a smile.
“If you’re grateful, pay me back in money.”
“That’s going to be difficult. You sleep first. I’ll take the watch alone.”
“Hahaha! A man who knows the value of money.”
So-o smiled broadly, crossed his legs, and lay back. Then Jang I-seo asked casually.
“But why aren’t you asking?”
“About what?”
“About the matter with the Flying Dragon Hall.”
It was an incident ripe with room for misunderstanding. After all, hadn’t they ended up being chased by the Flying Dragon Hall Master together? If he was a Third Grade Ghost, he would know just how serious this was.
Yet he hadn’t asked a single question.
“Wouldn’t that be something to ask your master over there rather than me? Even your master isn’t asking, so what would I say?”
At his words, Jang I-seo flinched. Come to think of it, that was true.
Mao hadn’t asked anything either. He had simply followed without a word. For a boy who normally couldn’t rest easy until he asked about every little thing that curious…