Chapter 93: Chapter 93
Branch Head Gal Woo-seon, who was waiting on the first floor, maintained a gloomy expression even while Jang Geon was coming down. As if not curious at all about what conversation took place between the secret contact and Jang Geon, he spoke briefly upon seeing Jang Geon descend.
“Let us go. The warriors will be waiting at the branch.”
Jang Geon grabbed him as he tried to leave with only those words.
“Return to the branch?”
“…We must return. Do you know how many bastards will be gathered there now? What could the two of us do by going there?”
Certainly, according to the calculation he had made upstairs moments ago, the Returning Dragon Gang members gathered at the hideout right now exceeded a hundred. Had it been a bandit group of the same size, it was a number for which the Martial Alliance would have organized a subjugation force to deploy. Having failed to prevent such an unorthodox faction from forming inside the city, Branch Head Gal Woo-seon was likely to be dismissed from his post as soon as this matter ended. It was the reason why his face contained not merely sorrow or anger.
However, Jang Geon did not release the shoulder he had grabbed.
“Just guide the way.”
A look of absurdity surfaced on Branch Head Gal’s face.
“Are you in your right mind? No matter how great a master you may be, even if a hundred commoners attack carrying pitchforks, few masters could overcome that alone. No, before that, I don’t even know if you have the stamina to defeat all hundred. It is entirely different from a one-on-one duel or fighting three or four low-tier opponents—”
“Just guide the way.”
Branch Head Gal seemed rendered speechless by Jang Geon’s calm tone, closed his mouth, and then quickly spoke again.
“I don’t know where that confidence comes from… Then I will only guide you to the front.”
Saying so, he began striding ahead. Jang Geon followed behind him, and only the clerk inside the courtesan house bowed his waist deeply toward their backs.
While they conversed inside the courtesan house, the night rain had ceased at some point. The air, damp yet cool from the rain that had fallen in the meantime, seeped into Jang Geon and Branch Head Gal’s clothing.
Dark clouds that had not yet completely cleared blanketed the sky, so the moon and stars did not shine. The night of Gamsan, which normally recalled Chang’an’s sleepless city lights even at late hours, became quieter than ever as people cowered and hid inside their homes due to the recent situation, night rain, and cool air. Through the middle of that dark night street of Gamsan City, the two men walked forward step by step.
Though it must have been difficult to make out the path due to the darkness, Branch Head Gal led the way forward without hesitating even for a moment. They were able to exit the courtesan house street and enter the tavern street.
Unlike the courtesan house street that was freezing over completely, the tavern street still showed taverns here and there with lights turned on. Considering that the place that originally operated until later in the night was the courtesan house street, it was a strange sight. Walking for a long while, Branch Head Gal stopped his footsteps.
“Do you see over there? Hwangseon-gak, Jeyang-ru. Both still have lantern lights on.”
At the place his hand pointed, two large taverns stood facing each other across a small alley. The small lane branching off from the main street extended deep between the two taverns, and in the bright light of the two taverns, the interior threw deeper shadows, making it impossible to distinguish properly.
Branch Head Gal spoke.
“According to the secret contact, we must enter inside there. However…”
Jang Geon passed by the halted Branch Head. Branch Head Gal hesitated as he watched his back, then spoke.
“…Be careful of the two taverns with lights on as well. If it were me, I would ambush forces there and watch those entering inside.”
At those words, Jang Geon grabbed the edge of his bamboo hat, gave a light tip, and continued forward. Branch Head Gal swallowed hard at the sight of the two taverns, exceptionally bright even in these surroundings, then quickly turned around and began running. No matter how well Jang Geon fought, he had to bring the branch warriors before the Wang brothers fled to another location due to that commotion.
Jang Geon listened to the sound of his footsteps receding behind his back as he walked toward the two taverns. Then, at a spot before entering that side path between them, he came to a sudden halt and raised his head.
The two taverns standing tall on the left and right resembled the pillars of a massive temple gate, and the dark, cloudy sky seemed like a roof mounted upon those pillars. The interior of the alley extending inside was dyed black, showing nothing.
It was a strange atmosphere. It was a place filled with a gloomy aura and an unknown darkness that made it hard to think of it as merely a place where thugs were hiding.
Suddenly, Jang Geon realized that the black native spearhead tucked behind his waist was trembling from a certain moment. As he placed a hand on the spearhead for a moment to feel that trembling, the door of the tavern beside him swung open.
Inside, a man appearing to be a waiter came out holding a basin, then froze upon discovering Jang Geon. He spoke.
“…What are you doing there?”
Jang Geon’s eyes turned toward him. He already knew that this waiter had been hiding behind the tavern door, watching from the moment he stopped here. In that case, that appearance must be an act.
“The Wang brothers are in there, right?”
“The Wangs? What nonsense are you talking about? Are you alone?”
Jang Geon answered that question by grabbing his scabbard with his left hand. The waiter also seemed satisfied with that answer, quickly erasing his bewildered expression as he looked around.
“…Looks like he’s alone. What kind of bastard are you?”
“I smell blood from inside.”
The man disguised as a waiter flinched at those words. And alongside him, those hiding inside the taverns on the left and right swung open the doors and poured out in a crowd. Their numbers reached about twenty.
“Ah, shit. Where the hell did this guy pop out from? Looking for a tavern? Man, I’m sorry, what do we do? Both places are closed for business.”
“We closed them. Heh.”
Giggly and swarming out, the men held various sized edged weapons in their hands. There were small knives or axes, and occasionally someone holding a long saber. And all those edged weapons were smeared with roughly wiped blood.
The man disguised as a waiter received an axe from the guy who approached his side, grew triumphant, and spoke.
“Well, if you were looking for a tavern, consider it bad luck. We received orders to wipe the necks of any guys loitering around this area. That’s just how life is.”
Jang Geon looked around at the thugs roughly surrounding him, and upon hearing those words, pulled up the corner of his mouth into a grin.
“Right. That’s just how life is.”
At that grin and response, the giggling thugs’ expressions hardened slightly.
“…Haha. This bastard, out of his mind from fear—”
The waiter-disguised man speaking had something flash from his waist at an instant, while his speech was choked mid-sentence. After that, without understanding the situation, he blinked his eyes, and suddenly his vision tilted and dropped to the ground with a thud. He died bewildered like that.
“…W-What the fuck!”
The rogue standing behind shouted out in surprise at the sight of his comrade collapsing with head and body separated. And Jang Geon’s blade immediately severed his neck as well.
Jang Geon gave them no time to be startled or moment to react. After taking off the first fellow’s head, he moved unhesitatingly to reduce their numbers.
Only after four had fallen did the thugs come to their senses and begin attacking Jang Geon while shouting at the top of their lungs. Among them was one who displayed rapidly swift movements, as if he had cultivated a bit of martial arts.
However, even with those quickened movements, he could not catch up to Jang Geon. As if he had eyes on the back of his head, or as if he possessed senses other than his two eyes to check his surroundings, Jang Geon dodged the edged weapons of the thugs attacking from front, back, left, and right with minimal movement.
Given their origin as thugs, none among them had deeply cultivated martial arts, and once a single attack missed, they inevitably exposed a huge opening. Unlike when he took off the heads of the first two, Jang Geon merely thrust his blade lightly toward those openings. That alone was sufficient. Those whose necks or hearts were pierced gasped for a single breath, tumbled down, bled profusely, and died.
When seven or eight had fallen like that, those near Jang Geon all laid their bodies on the ground. Those who had been standing a bit farther away, able to see all of Jang Geon’s movements, turned pale in an instant.
“Shit. He’s a master…”
“D-Didn’t they say the Martial Alliance wouldn’t move? Absolutely wouldn’t move…?”
One among them yelled out in rage.
“Fuck! Let’s scram inside! We can’t handle this ourselves!”
That fellow shouted so, but no one moved. Jang Geon also stood in that spot, letting his blood-dripping sword hang low as he looked at them.
After glancing around briefly, looking at Jang Geon as well as among themselves, they soon threw down the edged weapons they held and scrambled into the alley in a rush. Jang Geon did not pursue them.
He closed in on a fellow trying to flee elsewhere besides the alley and drove his blade into his back. Three more died like that.
Flicking his blade clean, Jang Geon looked at the alley where the bastards had fled, then turned his gaze to inspect the tavern they had opened and come out from. Stepping over to peek inside, he saw a person fallen dead atop the accounting desk. Seeing him dressed in silk clothes and possessing a fine build, he seemed to have been the owner of the tavern. Inside the tavern was bright yet quiet. Because except for two corpses sprawled here and there, there were no customers.
Slowly examining the interior of the tavern, Jang Geon soon turned his body and stepped outside. Stepping out, he saw dozens of men swarming out from deep inside the small lane holding torches. In the swaying torchlight, the weapons held by those dozens gleamed fiercely.
Seeing that, Jang Geon let out a hollow laugh. In their behavior and state of armament, that was practically no different from a bandit group. What were these crazy demonic practitioners thinking to commit such acts? Did they really intend to occupy Gamsan with such hoodlums?
Even if they could temporarily suppress the Martial Alliance by kidnapping his son to threaten the Branch Head, Gamsan City was an important city corresponding to the carotid artery of this New Continent. Ultimately, even if they unified the back alleys of Gamsan, and even if Jang Geon had not come, the underworld of this city would have been completely wiped out before long. Of course, in that process, Gamsan City’s commerce, industry, and trade might freeze over. But what use was that to madmen who cultivated demonic arts?
Just then, those swarming to fill the street stopped before Jang Geon. The one at the very front stepped forward another pace and shouted.
“Who are you, bastard?”
Having been lost in thought for a moment, Jang Geon raised his head at that sound. The one stepping out holding a large saber was a fellow with a burly physique matching that saber. And those standing behind him also held massive spears, sabers, or swords, glaring at Jang Geon.
Looking over them thoroughly, Jang Geon raised his left hand to untie his bamboo hat strap as he spoke.
“It seems we are hardly in a position to exchange names. I will make it simple.”
He tossed the unstrapped bamboo hat aside with a flick and pointed his sword at them.
“Throw down your weapons and lie flat on the ground. From now on, anyone left standing will not be spared.”
A moment of silence passed. And soon, the Returning Dragon Gang members began laughing boisterously as if they had heard an absurd joke. With dozens laughing like that, the narrow street instantly grew noisy.
However, as if paying no mind whatsoever to that laughter, Jang Geon lowered his pointed sword and strode toward them step by step.
“Man, I was startled when they said some master had stormed in, but it’s just a guy telling jokes! Guys! Attack! Let’s finish him off quickly and drink!”
At his shout, those who were laughing loudly raised their own weapons and began charging at Jang Geon. That was the very movement displayed when someone who knew nothing of the fear of edged weapons, merely engaging in back-alley brawls, picked up a large saber.
And Jang Geon stepped forward boldly, penetrating inside that sloppy saber stroke to deliver a short strike with his left fist. The thug charging at the very front collapsed right then and there with his chest sunken in.
And before he completely tumbled to the ground, Jang Geon’s sword began drawing unhesitating lines in the narrow alley.
In the dark alley, beneath the swaying torchlight, dark red jets of blood spurted in all directions. Severed wrists and arms flew through the air, and gushing blood painted sticky pictures on the walls forming the alley. Occasionally, Jang Geon’s blade slashed through both thug and wall together, scattering glittering sparks that dazzled the eyes.
Those who had charged while laughing loudly at the front clutched their cracked chests, collapsed, and wept while gasping for breath. Upon the ground where night rain had fallen until recently, blood poured down this time, turning into muddy water mixed with blood.
The torchlight, not particularly bright, failed to properly show Jang Geon’s movements. On the contrary, to his overly fast movements, only hazy residual images and a blue blade were visible, making it look as though a ghost were raging.
Restricted vision in a narrow alley, dying men ahead, and the blood they spewed. The thugs of the Returning Dragon Gang felt terror as if they were trapped in a cave with a sword-wielding ghost.
The advantage they felt in their numbers vanished like a candle flame blowing out, and what remained was only the fear of death.
“Sh-Shit!”
Ultimately, the thugs, who were not brave to begin with, quickly threw down their weapons and lay flat on the ground, which was no different from a quagmire. Among them, some even squirmed trying to dig into that mud.
When Jang Geon stood before the main gate at the end of the alley, all those who had opened that gate and swarmed out were lying flat in the mud.
Glancing back at them slightly, Jang Geon flicked his sword clean and stepped over the main gate.