Chapter 42: Scaling the Wall (3)
The symbol of Hubei Province is the Wudang Sect.
The Wudang Sect was a member of the Fifteen Pillars of the Orthodox Path supporting a pillar of the Nine Sects and One Gang, and was the strongest martial group in Hubei Province.
Below them was the Zhuge Clan.
Although the Zhuge Clan was not included in the Five Great Clans, it was a famous clan that boasted considerable prestige within Hubei Province.
The Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Clan were both martial groups belonging to the orthodox path.
However, there was also a fairly famous heterodox organization in Hubei Province.
Hegemon Society (佩刀會).
The strongest heterodox sect in Hubei Province.
Based in Chu River County, their prestige was great enough to engage in a struggle for hegemony even with the Zhuge Clan.
The primary source of income for this powerful organization, which could be said to represent the Hubei heterodox sects in name and reality, was human trafficking.
Luring young women with the promise of making big money, or not hesitating to kidnap and abduct if things did not go well, their business methods were an open secret.
The Hegemon Society accumulated massive wealth by semi-forcibly kidnapping young girls of blooming age from distant regions to make them work in courtesan houses, or selling them to far-off areas.
And the symbol of that wealth was precisely this ‘Fuchai Pavilion’ in the middle of the busiest street of Chu River County.
In this luxurious courtesan house consisting of tall pavilions, numerous courtesans gathered from all over the country were selling tears of blood packaged as alcohol and laughter.
“Hehehehe—”
A man quietly laughed inside the largest and most luxurious room on the top floor of the Fuchai Pavilion.
He was a handsome man with a pale face, a slender body, and beautiful facial features.
Do Jwa-yoon.
The only son of the Hegemon Society Leader and the successor to the Hegemon Society.
He had been visiting the Fuchai Pavilion, which had been handed over to him as his own early on, every single day.
Although it was under the pretext of checking the management status of the courtesan house, in reality, it was to be the first to meet the newly arrived courtesans.
Do Jwa-yoon fluttered the wanted poster in his hand once.
“The Death Plum Blossom. They say he was once called the Jade Dragon Young Master? Between this fellow and me, who is more handsome?”
At this, the courtesans nearby smiled.
“Of course it is Young Master Do.”
“How could he dare be compared.”
“The class is completely different, you know.”
“……”
Hearing the flattery of the courtesans, Do Jwa-yoon laughed heartily.
“This fellow has bold features and looks like a typical manly man. Meanwhile, my lines are delicate, making me look like a gigolo, don’t you think?”
“I like Young Master Do’s appearance much more.”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
“……”
The courtesans whined nasally and clung to Do Jwa-yoon.
At that moment, Do Jwa-yoon’s gaze turned toward a courtesan at the very end.
She was only hesitating awkwardly with an uneasy expression, not answering Do Jwa-yoon’s words for a while.
“You. What is your name?”
The courtesan singled out by Do Jwa-yoon quickly bowed her head.
“I am called Baekli Hyang.”
“But why is your expression so dark?”
Then, another courtesan said to Do Jwa-yoon.
“Her mother and younger sister were sold to the distant Yangtze River, and because she worries about that, her expression is like that every day.”
“Is that so? The Yangtze River is not under our Hegemon Society’s jurisdiction, though?”
Tilting his head, Do Jwa-yoon grinned toward the courtesan named Baekli Hyang.
“It seems my father sold your mother and sister to the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union. Well then, we should consider it over now.”
“……”
Baekli Hyang’s face turned ash-colored.
As if that were amusing, Do Jwa-yoon continued speaking with a beaming smile.
“You must have suffered to offer tribute by splitting the money from selling your bodies until now, truly admirable women. Since we pulled in the ransom value forcefully at the end, the profit on our side must be very sweet.”
“……”
“Now that you have left our Hegemon Society’s hands, what else is there to do? Wherever you are sold, just think of it as your hometown~ and settle down.”
“……”
“Ah, but since the opponents are the water bandits of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union, that might be a bit difficult. Ha-ha-ha-ha—Although we also sell off mostly ruined courtesans who can no longer receive customers, those fellows somehow pull out their money’s worth relentlessly even there. It is truly fascinating—a girl came and asked me a few days ago, and I told her something similar.”
Baekli Hyang’s face had now turned to look almost on the verge of tears.
Do Jwa-yoon grabbed her face firmly with his hand.
And then, wearing a fishy smile, he whispered in her ear.
“If you don’t want to end up like that, you had better do your best tonight. You don’t want to go sightseeing at the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union, do you?”
A sensation like a large snake wrapping around her body.
However, Baekli Hyang was in a position where she could make no resistance.
The moment she finally shed tears.
…Crash!
A loud noise was heard from the side.
“What is it?”
Do Jwa-yoon looked toward the wall.
…Crash! …Crash! …Crash!
The noise heard from the hallway beyond the wall was gradually approaching toward this place.
One bodyguard sitting at the lowest seat of the liquor table said.
“It seems the doors of the adjacent rooms are being broken. It looks like someone is running amok.”
“What kind of madman?”
Do Jwa-yoon smirked.
He looked relaxed as if there was no way the door to the room he was in would be broken.
But.
…Boom!
There was no exception.
The door to the room Do Jwa-yoon was in shattered, and a boy walked into the room.
Chui. Slinging an Ink Bamboo staff.
Do Jwa-yoon’s gaze stared blankly at Chui.
“What kind of beggar kid is this again? Now just anyone enters the Fuchai Pavilion?”
No sooner had Do Jwa-yoon’s words fallen than the five bodyguards sitting across the liquor table dusted themselves off and stood up.
Six Tigers of the Hegemon Society (佩刀六虎).
It meant the six bodyguards who escorted Do Jwa-yoon.
Without exception, they were swordsmen strong enough to be counted on fingers within the Hegemon Society.
Staring at the five men blocking his front, Do Jwa-yoon grumbled.
“What is the Sixth Blade doing and where? I told him to block the stairs.”
“Are you talking about this fellow?”
Chui threw a severed head onto the liquor table.
Thud— thud— crash—
The neck of the scarred man who had previously died from an awl to his ear rolled over the liquor bottles and side dishes with a loud noise.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
The expressions of the remaining five men froze stiff.
Soon, five sabers were drawn.
Since the Sixth Blade had died, it meant the First Blade, Second Blade, Third Blade, Fourth Blade, and Fifth Blade remained.
Do Jwa-yoon let out a hollow laugh.
“Every time you make a wound on that fellow’s body, it’s one tael of silver. If you cut off his arm or leg, ten taels, and if you bring his head, I’ll give a hundred taels.”
At those words, fire flashed in the eyes of the five men.
Swish-swish-swish—
Five sabers fell like lightning.
Chui swung his staff.
Internal energy clashed with internal energy, generating shockwaves.
The surrounding furniture shattered completely, and fragments of internal energy left deep wounds everywhere.
Chui dodged the tip of the blade coming toward his chin, then thrust his staff as if throwing it.
Crack!
The chest of the Fifth Blade collapsed, splattering blood and flesh.
Toward him who was groaning without even being able to scream, Chui spun his body once.
The staff that had struck the Fifth Blade’s chest also spun, and its opposite end shattered his head to pieces.
Spurt!
A fountain of blood erupted, coloring the walls of the room entirely red.
The moment the Fourth Blade nearby panicked at the blood mist obscuring his vision.
Thud-
The awl thrown by Chui lodged between his eyebrows.
Thud— thwack!
Stepping on the shoulder of the Fourth Blade who had died standing, Chui leapt and scattered caltrops on the floor of the room.
“Such madness!”
“He didn’t come to pick a fight.”
“He is an assassin who came determined! Inform the association!”
The First Blade, Second Blade, and Third Blade gritted their teeth.
The Third Blade turned his back and rushed out of the room.
It was for the purpose of informing the Hegemon Society of the attack.
But that was impossible.
Because there was not much space to step on the floor due to the caltrops, and above all, as soon as the Third Blade took a step, Chui threw his staff toward him.
Thwack! Crash!
The staff, which flew in like a harpoon, pierced through the Third Blade’s back, ruptured his heart, emerged through his chest, and even broke the wall.
Chui pulled the staff out of the wall and swung it without even removing the Third Blade’s corpse.
…Thud! …Thud!
The First Blade and Second Blade swung their sabers in a flurry, but only the Third Blade’s corpse impaled on the staff turned ragged.
“Madman!”
“Using a corpse like a shield!?”
Although they spoke thus, the First Blade and Second Blade were also not men of ordinary resolve.
They hacked at the corpse of their colleague who had been a comrade just a few seconds ago, attacking Chui who would be beyond it.
Their joint attack technique was quite exquisite, making it difficult even for Chui to subdue them at once.
So Chui chose to take the easy way.
…Thump!
Chui kicked the awl embedded in the Fourth Blade’s corpse to pull it out.
And while swinging the staff, he naturally struck the handle of the awl to send it flying.
“Huk!?”
Right toward the direction where Do Jwa-yoon was trembling.
“Young Master!?”
The First Blade threw his body to protect Do Jwa-yoon.
Because it was such an urgent situation, the First Blade had no choice but to block the flying awl with his own arm.
Meanwhile, the Second Blade was blocking Chui’s staff alone.
Of course, there was no way he could handle alone what he had barely balanced with the joint attack technique with the First Blade until now.
Crack!
Chui snapped the Second Blade’s saber in two in an instant and went as far as breaking his skull into hundreds of pieces while he was at it.
Now, the only one remaining was the First Blade, who had suffered an arm injury.
Chui walked before him silently.
The First Blade said.
“Are you working for money? Or do you have a grudge against the Hegemon Society?”
“Neither.”
At Chui’s answer, the First Blade shut his mouth for a moment, looking confused.
Soon, the First Blade said.
“I am one who works for his master. I am confused because I do not know what I must do to protect my master.”
He stared at Chui with a straight gaze.
And then, he continued in an earnest tone.
“You look like a man whose will is straight and whose righteousness is upright. So surely, you must know how to respect a man whose will is straight and whose righteousness is upright like you.”
“……?”
As Chui wore a puzzled expression, the First Blade shut his eyes tightly.
“As one who works for his master, I want to charge at you prepared to die, but…… the deaths of my colleagues earlier proved that it is of no use. So, I intend to meet death in a slightly different manner.”
Soon, the First Blade knelt before Chui, bowed his head, and said.
“I will commit suicide without opposing you. So, in consideration of my end which saved you time, I hope you will spare only my master.”
At the same time, the First Blade held his saber in reverse and stabbed his own neck.
Thud-
Afterward, spewing blood, he collapsed and died just like that.
“……”
Chui tilted his head.
And then he looked at Do Jwa-yoon, who was trembling behind him.
“He does not look like a master worth risking one’s life to protect, though.”
However, how one looks at others and judges them is up to oneself.
Soon, Chui raised his staff high.
Then, Do Jwa-yoon prostrated flat.
“P-please spare me!”
“……”
“I-I will give you all the money! If it is a grudge, please take it out on my father! I did nothing wrong! Truly!”
Do Jwa-yoon begged, even wetting himself.
He pulled out all the silver and money slips from the money pouch he had set aside next to him and offered them before Chui.
“F-first, this is all I have! I-I can bring more if I go home! Take it all! I will g-give it all to you!”
However, Chui did not have even a slight change in expression.
He merely replied briefly as if annoyed.
“No need.”
Because what is needed is something else.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost