Chapter 303

Yu Cheol-gwang licked his thick, catfish-like lips with his tongue.

It was a habit of his that appeared whenever he saw something that piqued his interest.

Yu Cheol-gwang’s eyes were fixed on Pyo Wol.

Black hair that fell to his shoulders, skin whiter than a woman’s, and lips as red as blood.

A bewitching appearance that could hardly be considered a man’s.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol, Yu Cheol-gwang felt a strong sexual desire.

Yu Cheol-gwang’s pederasty was famous in Haemun.

Unusually, he felt strong sexual desire not for women, but for men. In particular, the more beautiful a man was, like a woman, the more strongly it stimulated his lust.

If he found a man he liked, he would take him by any means necessary. Countless men had taken their own lives after being disgraced by him. Yet the reason he was still unscathed was due to his special status.

Yu Cheol-gwang was the third son of Yu Il-seok, the Society Leader of the Crimson Sword Society.

Both the first and second sons held key positions in the Crimson Sword Society, and Yu Il-seok himself was still in robust health.

Because of this, no matter how atrociously Yu Cheol-gwang behaved, not a single person could step forward to punish or scold him. Thus, Yu Cheol-gwang acted even more willfully.

One shichen ago, Yu Cheol-gwang had heard news that a beautiful man had entered Haemun. As soon as he heard the news, he led his subordinates to search every inn in Haemun. And here, he had found Pyo Wol.

Indeed, just as the rumors said, Pyo Wol was beautiful. No, he was more than that.

He was more beautiful than any man—no, any woman—that Yu Cheol-gwang had ever seen. He had never seen a man like this before.

Suppressing his quickening breath, he approached Pyo Wol.

“You, what’s your name?”

Yu Cheol-gwang bluntly asked for Pyo Wol’s name.

Pyo Wol silently looked up at Yu Cheol-gwang.

He was so large that Pyo Wol had to tilt his head far back.

Yu Cheol-gwang revealed his yellowed teeth and asked again.

“Didn’t I ask you what your name is?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Shit! When an Elder asks, you should answer right away, what’s with the questions?”

Yu Cheol-gwang glared with his bulging eyes.

Pyo Wol silently stared at Yu Cheol-gwang.

Just by looking at Yu Cheol-gwang’s bloodshot eyes, he could tell what kind of thoughts he was harboring.

It was absurd.

It wasn’t that there had been no one who harbored futile desires for him. But they all revealed their desires secretly.

They didn’t openly display their pederasty like Yu Cheol-gwang. No matter how open-minded those who lived in the Jianghu were compared to ordinary people, not everything was tolerated.

Especially those who had risen to high positions in the Jianghu were very conscious of others’ eyes because of their reputation. But Yu Cheol-gwang seemed to have no intention of hiding his sexual identity at all.

Thwack!

Yu Cheol-gwang slammed his hand, as large as a cauldron lid, onto the table. Because of that, the food on the table splattered in all directions.

The food splattered on Tarha’s and Yul Ayeon’s clothes. Both of their faces naturally scrunched up, but Yu Cheol-gwang didn’t even spare them a glance.

Yu Cheol-gwang glared at Pyo Wol and said.

“You, come with me.”

“…”

“I will not tolerate refusal.”

In that moment, his subordinates surrounded the table where Pyo Wol was sitting.

They were all martial artists from the Crimson Sword Society who were known for their strength.

They were not mere laborers who carried luggage at the port, but strategically trained martial artists.

Yu Cheol-gwang used some of the martial artists as his private soldiers.

It was something that should not have been allowed, but currently, there was no one in the Crimson Sword Society who could stop Yu Cheol-gwang’s tyranny.

Because of that, Yu Cheol-gwang ran wild with even greater arrogance.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol’s appearance, Yu Cheol-gwang’s thoughts were paralyzed. All he could see was Pyo Wol’s face; he couldn’t think normally.

The only thought that filled his mind now was the single-minded determination to take Pyo Wol to a quiet place, no matter what.

It was then.

“Hey there! Young friend.”

Suddenly, Tarha intervened between Yu Cheol-gwang and Pyo Wol.

“What’s with this old man?”

Yu Cheol-gwang glared at Tarha. Then, Tarha spoke in a cold voice.

“What are you going to do about this?”

“What am I supposed to do about what? Huh!”

“Because of you, food splattered on my and my granddaughter’s clothes. What are you going to do about this?”

“Shit! Is this old geezer crazy? What am I supposed to do? Just wash it yourself. Huh!”

“This happened because of you, so you should compensate for it.”

“Really! This old geezer can’t read the mood and keeps mouthing off. You want to die? Old man!”

“No, I want to live as long as possible, if I can.”

“Then just stay quiet and shut up. You’ll live long enough to smear shit on the walls.”

“I don’t wish to live until I smear shit on the walls. I’ll be satisfied to live just until I can resolve my lifelong wish. So I hope you will pay the price for dirtying my clothes.”

At Tarha’s words, Yu Cheol-gwang’s face twisted viciously.

He felt a murderous impulse towards Tarha, who couldn’t read the mood and kept latching onto his words.

“This fucking old man really wants to die.”

Unable to contain his anger, Yu Cheol-gwang finally swung his fist at Tarha.

It was a fist so large that just looking at it made one’s knees tremble. Moreover, he had trained in outer arts, so one proper hit would have broken the old man’s bones like reeds.

Thud!

But the fist Yu Cheol-gwang swung stopped in mid-air.

Unbelievably, Tarha’s wrinkled hand had stopped his fist in the air.

“Wha-what?”

Yu Cheol-gwang’s eyes widened. Then, Tarha clicked his tongue and said.

“Throwing a punch out of the blue? Did your parents not even teach you that you shouldn’t use your strength recklessly?”

“Do you dare to insult me?”

“I’m not insulting you, I’m cursing your parents who failed to give you a proper upbringing.”

“This old man…”

Yu Cheol-gwang roared and swung his other, un-grabbed fist. This time, he imbued it with internal energy, making his fist harder than a rock.

It had enough power to shatter a skull in one blow. It was a cruel technique to use on an old man with whom he had no grudge.

At that moment, Pyo Wol did not miss the cold light that flashed in Tarha’s eyes.

Tarha’s hand, which held Yu Cheol-gwang’s fist, rotated to the right. In that instant, Yu Cheol-gwang’s captured hand rotated with it and twisted.

Kwagagagak!

“Kuaaack!”

Yu Cheol-gwang, in the middle of throwing his punch, screamed.

His scream was so wretched that it made the hair of everyone in the inn stand on end.

“Ah! Young Master.”

“How could this be!”

The martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society were horrified.

With a playful-looking movement from Tarha, Yu Cheol-gwang’s arm had been twisted around. It wasn’t just a simple twist of the arm.

The muscles were twisted and ruptured or torn, and the bone, broken like a reed, protruded.

It was an unimaginably cruel move.

He had practically pulverized the muscle and bone, completely destroying it. No matter how great a physician came, it would be impossible to restore Yu Cheol-gwang’s hand to its original state.

Only then did the martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society realize that the old man before them was a terrifying expert.

“Kuaaack! You dog-like old man.”

In unbearable pain, Yu Cheol-gwang shrieked and went berserk. He lost his reason and tried to attack Tarha.

“You mustn’t.”

“Damn it!”

The martial artists rushed at Tarha to save Yu Cheol-gwang.

“Tsk! You’d think they’d get the hint by now.”

Thump!

Tarha clicked his tongue and slammed his palm on the table. The dishes and chopsticks scattered on the table floated into the air.

Tadadada!

Tarha’s hand flicked the plates and chopsticks at a speed invisible to the eye.

The plates and chopsticks became hidden weapons and rained down on the bodies of the Crimson Sword Society’s martial artists.

“Keuk!”

“Ugh!”

Screams erupted continuously.

Plates and chopsticks were deeply embedded in the bodies of the charging martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society. Fortunately, no one lost their life, but they were all in critical condition.

The blood they shed was soaking the floor.

“Ugh!”

At the horrific scene unfolding before his eyes, Yu Cheol-gwang barely came to his senses.

In an instant, a hellish scene had unfolded.

Clutching his twisted arm, he asked.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Tsk! You should have asked that sooner.”

“D-do you know who I am? Do you know who you’ve just messed with?”

At that, Tarha smiled as if it were pathetic.

“I have to acknowledge your guts for still shouting in such a state. But you know, child. That attitude might be a threat to some, but to others, it doesn’t evoke any emotion at all. Your crotch’s desires are none of my business, but you shouldn’t have caused harm to an unrelated person. That is what’s called courtesy.”

“Shut up! You think I’ll just stand by? I’ll…”

“If you don’t stand by?”

In that moment, Tarha’s pupils sank deep.

The moment he saw his gaze, Yu Cheol-gwang felt a terror that could not be expressed in words.

“Ugh!”

His massive body trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

Tarha asked again.

“If you don’t stand by?”

“Th-that…”

“What will you do?”

“That…”

Suddenly, foam flowed from Yu Cheol-gwang’s mouth.

His complexion had turned as pale as a sheet of paper, and his eyes had rolled back, showing only the whites.

He had inflicted a serious internal injury on his opponent with killing intent alone.

Thump!

Finally, Yu Cheol-gwang fell to his knees and vomited a torrent of blood.

It was black, dead blood.

Yu Cheol-gwang trembled and looked up at Tarha.

His eyes were completely bloodshot, with all the capillaries burst.

No matter how recklessly Yu Cheol-gwang had lived, unafraid of the world, he could at least tell that the old man sitting before him was a truly terrifying expert.

“Get lost!”

At Tarha’s cold words, Yu Cheol-gwang couldn’t even retort and went out of the inn. His whale-like body swayed from side to side like a drunkard, looking precarious.

The injured martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society followed behind him.

“…”

A silence fell over the inn.

A subtle fear was etched on the faces of the customers on the first-floor dining area.

Most of the customers were people who made a living by trading with the Outer Regions. As such, they had seen and heard much.

Among them were many experts of martial arts. But not a single expert had shown skills as terrifying as the Tarha before them.

Because of that, people only watched Tarha’s expression. But Tarha, the subject of their attention, was looking at Pyo Wol with a composed face.

“My apologies. I can tolerate other things, but I couldn’t stand him dirtying my granddaughter’s clothes.”

“You said you came to collect a debt?”

“That’s right!”

“The area is about to get noisy.”

“That might be so. But I hope to resolve it quietly. Anyway, it seems I’ve interfered unnecessarily.”

Tarha looked intently at Pyo Wol’s face.

His methods were certainly excessive.

Tarha’s martial arts had a strong destructive aspect. Because of that, they always brought about horrific results.

In Tarha’s homeland, the Western Regions, they feared him, calling him the God of Chaos.

Pyo Wol showed little change in expression even after seeing Tarha’s martial arts.

Whether he was simply skilled at hiding his expressions or just bluffing, it was clear that he was not fazed by Tarha’s martial arts.

As far as Tarha knew, there were only two such cases.

Either one was completely ignorant of the ways of the world, or one was that confident in their own skills.

He didn’t get the feeling it was the former. That left only the latter.

This handsome man before him was an expert confident in his own skills.

The problem was that even Tarha couldn’t fathom the level of his martial arts.

An expert who had reached Tarha’s level could usually see an opponent’s level as clearly as reading their palm, but he could see nothing of the sort in Pyo Wol.

Either he was an expert of a higher level than Tarha, or he had learned a martial art specialized in concealing one’s level.

Tarha thought this too was the latter.

He thought it was impossible for someone of Pyo Wol’s age to have mastered martial arts to a higher level than himself.

‘A martial art that can deceive my eyes…’