Chapter 304

Yu Il-seok, wearing a red hood, was reading a yellowed booklet. The booklet he was reading contained the shipping manifests of the boats that had entered Haemun that day.

With this booklet alone, he could clearly see what goods were loaded onto which ships and where they were being sold.

To Yu Il-seok, it was a priceless treasure.

It was because of this booklet that the Crimson Sword Society, a mere group of laborers, could deal with a massive sect like the Sea Dragon Clan on equal footing.

Yu Il-seok analyzed these daily booklets to predict which trading company would make a large profit and invested accordingly.

Thanks to this, the size of the Crimson Sword Society had grown at least fivefold in the twenty years since he became the Society Leader.

With the money he earned, Yu Il-seok trained his own martial artists. As a result, they now boasted a power that was not far behind the Sea Dragon Clan.

That was the status of the Crimson Sword Society as seen by the world. But Yu Il-seok knew. He knew the truth that the Crimson Sword Society was woefully inferior to the Sea Dragon Clan. That was why, even today, he was contemplating how he could augment his forces.

“Society Leader!”

Just then, a voice shattered Yu Il-seok’s peace.

From his subordinate’s urgent voice, Yu Il-seok instinctively knew something had happened. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to be sought out at this late hour.

“What is it?”

“Something terrible has happened.”

“Terrible?”

Only then did Yu Il-seok rise from his seat and go outside.

Outside, his trusted subordinate stood with his head bowed.

“What is it?”

“The third Young Master has been gravely injured.”

“The third?”

“Yes!”

Yu Il-seok furrowed his brow.

Even upon hearing that his son was injured, his reaction was not very emotional. It was certainly different from the reaction of most parents.

Yu Il-seok asked his subordinate.

“His condition?”

“He was brought back half-dead. And it seems one of his arms will be crippled, as the muscles and tendons are completely ruined and the nerves severed.”

“The… cause?”

“That is…”

“Was it because of his pederasty again?”

“I apologize.”

“That vermin-like thing only brings shame to the family.”

Yu Il-seok’s face turned bright red.

His eyes were filled with the light of fury.

The fact that his son had been disgraced while trying to engage in pederasty, rather than the fact that his son was injured, was what enraged him.

“Who did he mess with this time?”

“He didn’t even get to touch him.”

“Then?”

“He says he was assaulted by some old woman just before he could.”

“An old woman?”

“It seems she is from the Outer Regions.”

“A person from the frontiers dared to beat my son to a pulp?”

He had calmly accepted the fact that his son had been disgraced for pederasty, but the fact that an outsider from the Outer Regions had caused a disturbance in his territory enraged him.

It was a matter of his pride.

Although they were inferior to the Sea Dragon Clan, the Crimson Sword Society was, at any rate, publicly evaluated as a power that shared Haemun. The very fact that an old woman from the Outer Regions had caused a ruckedown in the territory of such a society wounded his pride.

“Let’s go!”

“Pardon?”

“I said let’s go to where that person is.”

“Understood.”

“Call the first and second sons as well.”

“Yes!”

His first son, Yu Geon-sang, and his second son, Yu San-gyeong, were both renowned powerhouses in the Crimson Sword Society.

They both held key positions in the society.

When this kind of trouble arose, the only ones he could ultimately trust were his own flesh and blood.

The subordinate quickly informed Yu Geon-sang and Yu San-gyeong that Yu Il-seok had summoned them. They immediately led their subordinates and joined Yu Il-seok’s procession.

As Yu Il-seok set out, a staggering one hundred martial artists of the Crimson Sword Society moved with him.

“What’s going on?”

“My goodness! It looks like something big is about to happen.”

People who saw Yu Il-seok on the move whispered among themselves.

It was extremely rare for him to move personally. But whenever he did, something big would happen.

A storm of blood would blow.

That was how Yu Il-seok had protected his and the Crimson Sword Society’s territory.

If he had one flaw, it was only his third child, Yu Cheol-gwang. In every other aspect, he was a perfect man.

People now thought that since he had made a move, whatever the problem was, it would be resolved quickly.

Yu Il-seok was a man who possessed the martial prowess befitting the Society Leader of the Crimson Sword Society. Moreover, over a hundred of his subordinates were following him.

They were the true martial power of the Crimson Sword Society.

All of them were born and raised in Haemun, and with their rough dispositions, they were famous for never retreating until death once a battle began.

They were so rough and demonic that it was said even the great Sea Dragon Clan of All Under Heaven respected the Crimson Sword Society’s territory because of them.

The first son, Yu Geon-sang, asked.

“What is it this time?”

He still didn’t know why they had been summoned in the dead of night.

“Cheol-gwang came back half-dead.”

“Don’t tell me?”

“That’s right! He tried that stunt again and met his match.”

“Just how long do we have to clean up after that bastard?”

Yu Geon-sang finally exploded in anger.

The second son, Yu San-gyeong, also couldn’t contain his anger.

“Fuck! To think that piece of trash is my brother…”

Slap!

In that instant, Yu Il-seok’s palm struck Yu San-gyeong’s cheek.

Yu San-gyeong’s cheek instantly swelled up.

“Watch your mouth.”

“Father?”

“That trash is my blood. What you said is no different from cursing me for creating trash.”

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”

“I know. Still, be careful.”

“Yes!”

Yu Il-seok looked ahead.

A large inn came into view.

It was the inn where Yu Cheol-gwang had been beaten.

Yu Il-seok looked at his subordinates and said.

“Everyone, get ready!”

“Yes!”

Schwing!

With the reply, the martial artists all drew their weapons in unison.

Crash!

They kicked open the inn’s door with the same arrogance as Yu Cheol-gwang had. The door, its hinges already broken because of Yu Cheol-gwang, shattered and fell apart completely.

Yu Il-seok scanned the inside of the inn.

It wasn’t very difficult to find the person who had beaten his son to a pulp. Most of the customers had already noticed the unusual atmosphere and made their escape.

Only three people remained on the first floor. And they were all sitting at the same table.

Among them, the first to catch his eye was Pyo Wol, a man more beautiful than any woman.

The moment he saw him, he felt he understood why his son Yu Cheol-gwang’s eyes had flipped. With looks like that, it wouldn’t be strange for a man, not just a woman, to be captivated.

Yu Il-seok shook his head and looked at the old woman sitting across from Pyo Wol. He instinctively realized that she was the old woman who had beaten his son to a pulp.

Yu Il-seok strode toward the old woman. At that, the old woman, Tarha, turned her body to look at him.

Thump!

In that moment, Yu Il-seok felt a shock as if his heart had dropped.

He felt an immense pressure from Tarha’s sunken eyes.

Tarha was looking at Yu Il-seok with a smile, as if she found the current situation amusing.

“Who might you be?”

“I, I am Yu Il-seok. I am the father of the child you injured and the Society Leader of the Crimson Sword Society.”

Yu Il-seok forced himself to answer bravely. But Tarha’s reply stabbed his heart like a flying dagger.

“Ah! So you’re that hooligan’s father? You must have raised your child so poorly, I couldn’t find a trace of manners in him.”

“Is that why you crippled the child?”

“He’s crippled? I thought I was being lenient…”

“What is your identity, old woman?”

“Is that important?”

Tarha said with a laugh.

Even though a hundred martial artists filled the inn, she showed no sign of fear.

It was the same for Tarha’s granddaughter, Yul Ayeon.

She didn’t even spare Yu Il-seok and his men a glance and just sipped her drink.

Yul Ayeon put down her cup and asked Pyo Wol.

“You said the best way to get information is from the local hegemon, right?”

“I did.”

“Looks like we can get our information now.”

Yul Ayeon smiled, revealing her white teeth.

Pyo Wol looked at Yul Ayeon with his deeply sunken eyes.

Tarha had dealt with Yu Cheol-gwang not because she was worried about Pyo Wol.

It was because she knew the simple fact that if you beat the child, the parent will come running. The only difference from a typical situation was that the parent was a person of power in Haemun.

Grrr!

Tarha pushed back her chair and stood up.

She spread her arms wide and said to Yu Il-seok.

“The one who crippled your son is me. What are you going to do about it?”

In that moment, a muscle in Yu Il-seok’s jaw twitched.

A dangerous scent wafted strongly from the old woman before him. Just smelling it was enough to make cold sweat run down his spine.

He regretted coming here without any prior information.

If he had known his opponent was this kind of being, he would never have come here. Even if it meant writing off that good-for-nothing son as if he never existed. But regret, no matter how soon it comes, is always too late.

He couldn’t back down now, having come this far, just because he was afraid of his opponent.

A hundred of his subordinates, and the people of Haemun, were watching his every move from beyond the windows.

If he retreated now without doing anything, everyone would look down on him. He knew all too well what happened to those who were looked down upon in the Jianghu.

Yu Il-seok gave an order to his subordinates.

“Attack!”

“Waaah!”

As soon as his order fell, his subordinates rushed at Tarha.

They swung their weapons at Tarha without hesitation.

Whoosh!

A large axe cut through the air, and a trident thrust forward. But the miracle of a weapon touching Tarha’s body did not happen.

Kwaaaang!

With a sound like a Thunderbolt Bomb exploding, the attackers were all thrown backward at once.

The condition of the martial artists who were thrown back was nothing short of wretched.

They were all screaming, their arms and legs bent in grotesque directions.

“Kaaagh!”

“S-save me!”

Among them was Yu Il-seok’s first son, Yu Geon-sang.

He had rushed in first to claim merit, only to suffer a severe injury.

‘Repulsion Force Energy.’

Pyo Wol immediately identified the special technique Tarha had unleashed.

It was a supreme technique that only a handful of absolute martial artists in the Jianghu could perform.

This technique, which returned an opponent’s attack with added repulsive force, was the culmination of Gang Qi martial arts.

“Good heavens!”

Yu Il-seok, too, finally recognized the technique his opponent had used and was horrified.

His opponent was an expert whose level was as far apart as heaven and earth. She was not someone he could dare to challenge.

“E-everyone, retreat.”

He belatedly shouted, but by then, it was too late.

Tarha had charged into the midst of the martial artists.

Kwang! Kwang!

Explosions rang out continuously.

Each time, his subordinates flew backward, screaming.

All of them with their limbs grotesquely twisted or their chests caved in.

Yu Il-seok felt like he was having a nightmare.

He had never dreamed the situation would deteriorate so rapidly.

“Kuaaack!”

“Ugh!”

In an instant, the scene turned into a portrait of hell.

All one hundred of his subordinates had collapsed and were groaning in pain.

Tarha walked straight toward him.

“Ugh! Please spare me.”

Without realizing it, Yu Il-seok fell to his knees.

He was in no state to care about his dignity or the eyes of others.

He threw everything away and knelt before Tarha.

Tarha’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Yu Il-seok.

“So you’re not entirely clueless. I have a few things to ask you.”

“A-ask me anything. I will answer with all my heart. If there is something I don’t know, I will find out for you by any means necessary.”

“Hoh! Is that so?”

Tarha smiled as if pleased.

Yul Ayeon poured liquor into her cup and muttered.

“As if the likes of them could handle a rebellious god of the Mara Dharma Hall.”