Chapter 90: Chapter 90
Having disarmed the Hoe-ryong Gang with a single gaze, Jang Geon turned his head to look at the Ja brothers still lying on the floor. The Ja-myeong and Ja-un brothers, who were looking back at him with round eyes, jumped upright at that gaze. Ja-un, who had injured his leg, stood straight while holding onto his elder brother despite limping.
Jang Geon spoke to them,
“Clean up.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes!”
Quickly catching Jang Geon’s intent, Ja-myeong began herding the Hoe-ryong Gang members, who stood awkwardly after dropping their blades, into a corner of the inn, and started tending to the injured Black Blood Gang members. Those who had been unconscious or pretending to be unconscious from Jang Geon’s fists also slunk up and helped him.
Entrusting the rough cleanup like that, Jang Geon approached the fallen Wang Sam and flipped him over with his foot. Unconscious, he lay on his back looking at the ceiling with a *cheol-peodeok*.
“He didn’t use demonic arts.”
To be precise, he hadn’t been given the opening to do so, but Jang Geon thought that since Wang Sam hadn’t even grasped an opening, he was either someone who hadn’t mastered demonic arts or perhaps an external hire just like Seo Wi-ryang had been in the past. Since he knew about Green Snake and Black Snake, he wouldn’t be completely unrelated.
Jang Geon looked down at Wang Sam’s face, which had begun to swell red where hit, then raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand and poked his body deeply.
“…Well now.”
Intending to wake the unconscious man by striking acupoints, Jang Geon realized that the acupoints couldn’t be properly grasped. Wang Sam’s skin was stiff and thick like that of a bear or wild boar, making it impossible to easily feel the meridian channels beneath.
Pondering for a moment, Jang Geon tried poking deeper into the acupoints before having to stop. Poking any deeper would mean making holes in the body rather than striking acupoints. Straightening his bent upper body, Jang Geon let out a hollow laugh. Since acupoints couldn’t be properly grasped, he couldn’t use meridian-severing bone-dislocating art, which required striking many acupoints, meaning he would have to use a more classic method to interrogate this guy.
Slashing skin, sprinkling salt, pulling fingernails, breaking bones. Horrific acts, and bothersome ones at that.
As Jang Geon was thinking about what to do, Ja-un limped over and spoke,
“Uh, Warrior-nim, there are brothers in severe condition… We need to fetch a doctor. May we send someone?”
Jang Geon waved his hand for him to do so. Ja-un bowed deeply and stepped back, while Jang Geon searched Wang Sam’s chest fold again and examined his skin more closely.
At first glance without touching, Wang Sam’s skin merely looked tanned dark by the sun. But touching it revealed no soft human skin feel, but a strange firm toughness like that of a completely different creature.
Jang Geon tilted his head. Tough, blade-impervious skin, external martial arts. It was a martial art that existed in his head but not actually in this world. Jang Geon had also searched for such things in his prime and tested them on his own body.
However, unlike other martial arts, altering skin toughness and strength was harder than his imagination, so he had failed to succeed. Thus Jang Geon considered that like the demonic practitioners met yesterday who gained new power through eating others’ hearts or horrific acts, it required demonic arts, or else longer research.
Yet this guy Wang Sam didn’t seem to have awakened demonic arts. Furthermore, since he was unconscious, it meant this wasn’t utilizing internal qi either, meaning he had altered his skin itself through some method.
“Hmm.”
Organizing his thoughts for a moment, Jang Geon checked the money pouch pulled from the guy’s chest fold. Several silver coins were inside, but no particular clue could be found. Tucking the money away, he checked Wang Sam’s state. This time not looking at skin, but regarding when he would regain consciousness. Slapping his face yielded no reaction from Wang Sam.
Just then, the sound of splashing mud in the rain outside the inn reached his ears. Not one or two people running, but dozens rushing over. Moments later, a middle-aged man leaped through the shattered door of the inn and shouted,
“Everyone halt! It’s the Martial Alliance!”
Drenched soaking wet in rainwater, he shouted while dripping water. Holding out a round Martial Alliance badge forward, he looked like a Martial Alliance warrior who had rushed over urgently and burst into the scene.
However, all the people in the inn stared at him blankly. Ja-myeong and a few others were tying the hands of Hoe-ryong Gang members behind their backs, while others were tending to bleeding fallen gang members. Jang Geon let go of Wang Sam and straightened his waist.
Stepping inside and seeing the situation in the inn, the man quietly lowered his Martial Alliance badge and spoke,
“Uh… so… alright, then I shall arrest all of you for now.”
Behind him, panting Martial Alliance warriors wet from rain stepped inside. Judging by their attire, they indeed seemed to be Martial Alliance members. However, the thugs who had never seen even a hair of the Martial Alliance while fighting between organizations looked at them blankly without being able to say a word.
Ja-myeong, who had regained some senses, stepped forward and asked,
“…Uh, are you really the Martial Alliance?”
“Would I impersonate an Alliance member like a madman? Don’t you know who I am?”
“…Jo Won-sik? You’re really Jo Won-sik of the Martial Alliance?”
The middle-aged man called Jo Won-sik by Ja-myeong looked at Ja-myeong’s face as if asking who he was to call him that, wiped water off his face with his hand, and surveyed the inn.
“Several have died already. Arrest them all! Today we round up all of Hoe-ryong Gang!”
At those words, Ja-myeong stepped forward again,
“Wait a moment. Hold on. Hoe-ryong Gang are those guys tied up over there, we’re not their members!”
“What? What nonsense! Resisting arrest will mean we use force! Everyone stay quietly without resisting!”
“Fuck! Why did you suddenly show up today after never appearing until now?”
“Why else, you bastards! When dozens roam around swarming and stabbing people to death, did you think we wouldn’t know!”
“You acted like you didn’t know until now!”
While Ja-myeong and that man named Jo Won-sik argued loudly with words, Jang Geon stood with fingers hooked in his belt, examining the Martial Alliance members who had entered. Soaked wet in the falling rain, they looked at the two arguing while shivering from cold and tension.
And from what Jang Geon could see, the dozen or so of them were all greenhorns who looked barely past twenty. Anxiety filled their eyes, and the hands holding ropes were trembling finely. It was far too pathetic a sight to say the Martial Alliance had barged in to purge the back alley organizations currently driving Gamsan City into terror.
“No! At any rate I’m not Hoe-ryong Gang! I’m Black Blood Gang!”
“Black Blood Gang? Black Blood Gang is equally subject to arrest! Plunging Gamsan City into turmoil makes you the same! What are you waiting for? Arrest them all! Tie them up!”
Though Jo Won-sik urged them, the Alliance members behind him merely read the room and hesitated. Finding that sight frustrating, Jo Won-sik approached an Alliance member, snatched the rope held in his hand, and began striding toward Ja-myeong and the other Black Blood Gang members.
“Uh-uh? Yo-you’re really going to lock us all up?”
Still feeling sore in his abdomen from Jang Geon’s kick, Ja-myeong slunk backward. Jo Won-sik was an expert who held quite some authority in the Martial Alliance Gamsan Branch. Even if he fought together with his uninjured younger brother, it was doubtful whether they could win, so they couldn’t fight like this.
“Wait a moment.”
Just then, the watching Jang Geon’s voice interjected. Striding forward, Jo Won-sik froze short at that voice and turned to Jang Geon. For even amidst barging urgently into the inn, the person who stood out most to his eyes had been Jang Geon.
“…Are you Black Blood Gang too? Whether thugs or scoundrels, there are no exceptions for back alley members. Come quietly.”
“I am not an organization member. I came here because I have business with those scoundrels.”
“What, shit. Business? I have business with you guys too! Arresting you! Put down the sword at your waist without talking nonsense!”
At Jo Won-sik shouting loudly, Jang Geon shook his head softly and searched his chest fold. And pulling out something small and shiny, he lightly flicked it toward Jo Won-sik.
“What is that again… wait… a Martial Alliance Medal?”
Reflexively catching it, Jo Won-sik developed a dumb face. It was a six-pointed star-shaped gold medal. In the center, the word Martial World was engraved in black characters. It was an item tucked into his chest fold to sell off while stopping by the big city of Gamsan.
Looking at the dazed Jo Won-sik, Jang Geon spoke,
“Handle arresting those guys on your own, and let me ask you something.”
“Uh… a-ask away.”
“As that guy said, you never stepped out until now—why did you appear so suddenly?”
“…That is due to our branch’s internal circumstances. To non-Alliance members, it cannot be disclosed without the Branch Head’s permission.”
He glanced down at the received medal and continued,
“Are you by chance an Alliance member?”
Jang Geon shook his head. Seeing Jo Won-sik immediately show a disappointed expression at that, Jang Geon approached him, picked up the medal, and spoke,
“The Branch Head has to permit it? Then let us go. I will help tie these guys up.”
Jo Won-sik turned into a dumb face again and looked at Jang Geon.
* * *
In the night street where rain still fell steady, Hoe-ryong Gang and Black Blood Gang members bound in a line were dragged to the Martial Alliance. For those with severe injuries, Alliance members were left behind intending to bring them after a doctor treated them later, so dragging them now were only Jo Won-sik and Jang Geon.
However, Hoe-ryong Gang members didn’t resist Jang Geon, who had beaten their deputy leader into submission without even drawing a blade. The Black Blood Gang members who had already been lightly beaten had even less to say.
All other injured were left at the inn, but Wang Sam alone was specially carried by Jang Geon on his shoulder. Once he regained consciousness, there was much to learn from him.
Commoners of Gamsan passing the street gathered by the roadside upon seeing that sight. Most wore expressions wondering if this was real, while some laughed *kkeol-kkeol* saying the Martial Alliance had finally started working.
At any rate, Jang Geon and Jo Won-sik linked the back alley members in a line and were able to arrive at the Martial Alliance Gamsan Branch.
Worthy of a branch in a giant city, the Gamsan Branch appeared like a wealthy family’s manor at first glance. Long walls stretched out, and large buildings were visible beyond.
When Jo Won-sik entered, people inside were startled and rushed out in a crowd.
Seeing them, Jo Won-sik straightened his waist arrogantly and spoke,
“Ahem, ahem. What are you doing? Take these guys and lock them all in iron cages! Also go tell the Branch Head that a guest has arrived!”
“…Will it be alright?”
“What? What will be alright? We simply did our job! I have a clear conscience!”
“…Understood.”
Watching from behind, Jang Geon could feel that despite bringing in Gamsan’s headaches, the Martial Alliance members’ expressions were not bright. Those dim-faced branch members received the rope from Jo Won-sik’s hand and began dragging dozens of gang members in a line.
Among those dragged away, the Ja brothers looked back wistfully at Jang Geon, but Jang Geon lightly ignored them. Jo Won-sik turned to him.
“Now, let us go. The Branch Head will be in his office.”
Following his guidance, Jang Geon arrived before a large building on one side of the manor. Jo Won-sik stood before that building door, composed his breath for a moment, and then slammed the door open.
Inside, numerous tables were covered with papers, and a man was standing facing the wall with his back turned.
“…Branch Head, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Is now a situation to bring a guest?”
The one called Branch Head slowly turned his body at Jo Won-sik’s words. He was a middle-aged man appearing slightly older than Jo Won-sik. Fatigue was heavily smeared on his face, and combined with deep wrinkles, he looked like an extremely irritable person.
“What on earth are you thinking? Arresting thugs? And Hoe-ryong Gang members at that?”
“…I merely did my duty.”
“Why do that duty right now! We can clean up such scoundrels later! And I heard you went taking only greenhorns who know nothing!”
Jo Won-sik answered with a firm face despite the Branch Head shouting,
“…Are you speaking like that not knowing what those scoundrels are making Gamsan into right now? No matter how dangerous your son may be, you must not forget your duty as the Martial Alliance!”
At those words, the Branch Head’s face twisted fiercely as he glared at Jang Geon. And Jo Won-sik, who had spoken out, also developed an ‘oh crap’ expression and covered his mouth. Receiving both their gazes, Jang Geon scratched his neck with a dull expression.