Chapter 310

Geom-yeon and Tae Musang stared at the scene unfolding before them with expressions of disbelief.

The one who had suddenly appeared and taken control of the man’s back was none other than Pyo Wol.

He was like a ghost.

No matter how fast the man spun, Pyo Wol did not detach from his back. In the end, the man never even saw his face before being subdued by Pyo Wol.

The two of them were some distance away from the man, so they could see the scene clearly. But even seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn’t believe it. It was that much of an unrealistic sight.

Even in their near-death state, goosebumps broke out all over their bodies.

‘Is that even possible?’

‘Crazy…’

Tae Musang realized anew just how reckless his bravado had been in trying to threaten such a man.

It felt miraculous that his opponent had let him live.

Pyo Wol appeared in front of the kneeling man.

Only then could the man finally see the face of Pyo Wol, who had neutralized him.

The stark white face, which stood out even in the pitch-black darkness, felt alien.

The man asked.

“You, who are you? Who dares to…”

Puk!

At that moment, a Ghostly Rain was embedded in the back of the man’s hand.

“Keuk!”

The man stopped talking and his eyes widened.

Pyo Wol met the man’s gaze and said,

“I ask the questions, you give the answers. Those are the rules.”

“Bullshit!”

Puk!

At that moment, another Ghostly Rain pierced his thigh.

“Kuaaak!”

The man let out another scream. But his scream did not echo into the night sky. Pyo Wol had covered his mouth with his hand.

“What organization are you with?”

“Huu! I won’t tell… Keuuu!”

The man let out another groan.

A Ghostly Rain was now embedded in his shoulder as well.

There was no need to use the torture methods he had recently learned. Since Pyo Wol himself was accustomed to pain, he knew well how to inflict maximum pain on an opponent and break their spirit.

Pyo Wol asked once more.

“What organization are you with?”

“I am…”

Buuk!

Instantly, Pyo Wol dragged the Ghostly Rain embedded in his thigh sideways. The wound widened, and blood poured out.

At the sight of Pyo Wol digging into the wound without batting an eye, Tae Musang and Geom-yeon’s eyes widened in shock.

They too had grown up from the bottom and prided themselves on their strong will, but seeing Pyo Wol’s actions, they realized they couldn’t even hold a candle to him.

The man instantly became a Blood Human.

If an ordinary person had shed this much blood, they would have died long ago. But Pyo Wol had wounded him just enough to keep him breathing.

The man’s mind grew hazy from the excessive blood loss.

Pyo Wol asked again.

“What organization are you with?”

“Phan, Phantom Ship Fleet.”

The man answered without realizing it.

“Phantom Ship Fleet?”

“Yes!”

“And the Phantom Ship Fleet belongs to?”

“That is… Keuk!”

The man, who had been answering smoothly, suddenly seemed to regain his senses, his eyes flying open. It was the phenomenon of terminal lucidity.

Realizing his mistake, he bit his own tongue.

Puhwak!

A fountain of blood spurted from his severed tongue.

The man died on the spot.

Pyo Wol quietly looked down at the man’s corpse.

It was a pity he couldn’t find out more; if only the man had regained his senses a moment later.

Pyo Wol’s gaze turned to Geom-yeon and Tae Musang.

The two watched Pyo Wol, barely daring to breathe.

After looking at them for a moment, Pyo Wol waved his hand.

Peopeok!

A faint sound erupted from their bodies. He had performed a Pressure Point Strike from a distance. The bleeding from their bodies stopped completely.

Only then did Geom-yeon let out a sigh of relief.

The place he and Tae Musang had desperately fled to was the Inn where he worked.

He had remembered that Experts like Pyo Wol and Tarha were at the Inn and had lured the man there.

He had almost been caught and killed by the man as they neared the Inn, but in the end, his gamble had paid off.

Pyo Wol, having sensed the commotion outside, had appeared just like this.

“Haa!”

“Keuk!”

As the tension eased, an excruciating pain washed over them.

Pyo Wol approached them.

“What happened?”

“Well…”

Tae Musang recounted everything that had happened at the port.

From the man and his group secretly infiltrating the port on a small fishing boat, to them tracking him and killing his younger brothers.

Pyo Wol listened to his story in silence.

‘So this kid being chased by a Martial Artist from the Phantom Ship Fleet was a complete coincidence. The Phantom Ship Fleet’s Martial Artists’ entry here was top secret. And to protect that secret, they tried to Kill and Silence him at all costs…’

Something smelled fishy.

From the appearance of Experts from the Western Regions like Tarha and Yul Ayeon, to the emergence of a group he had never even heard of called the Phantom Ship Fleet.

It was truly an unpredictable flow of events.

“You said twenty of them came in all?”

“It seemed to be around that number.”

“Then there are still nineteen more of them here.”

“That’s right.”

“Their faces?”

“I was too far away to see.”

Tae Musang answered, gritting his teeth.

Because of them, three of his precious younger brothers were dead. They were all young children who hadn’t even had a chance to blossom.

Tae Musang felt a deep sense of guilt for their deaths.

If he hadn’t fled to the hideout, the children would not have died.

Eudeuk!

Tae Musang ground his teeth.

He ground them so hard that fine powder from his shattered teeth trickled out.

Pyo Wol looked at him and said,

“Dispose of the body, then hide with the children.”

“I can’t do that. I can’t…”

Tae Musang jerked his head up and looked at Pyo Wol.

His eyes were bloodshot, the capillaries burst and red. His appearance, as if he might drip blood at any moment, instilled fear in the beholder.

“Hy…ung!”

Geom-yeon grabbed Tae Musang’s hand. But Tae Musang, far from calming down, stared straight at Pyo Wol.

“I have to get revenge. I can’t hide away without avenging the children.”

“Do you have the ability?”

“That’s…”

“Think about what’s more important. The lives of the children you protect, or your revenge? Which is more important?”

At Pyo Wol’s cold words, Tae Musang’s lips tightened.

He knew rationally that the children’s safety came first. But reason didn’t always prevail.

“Still, I can’t back down so helplessly. If I retreat like this, who will comfort the wronged souls of those children? I don’t care if I die. I will have my revenge, no matter what.”

Tae Musang said, practically coughing up blood.

Geom-yeon squeezed his hand tighter, but his anger showed no signs of abating.

“Please help me.”

“Why should I?”

“You have the power, don’t you?”

“Just because I have power doesn’t mean I have to help.”

“I know. I know that to ask for anything, a price must be paid.”

Tae Musang had learned the laws of the street with his own body.

He already knew how to get help from others.

“I will offer you my Soul. I will be your dog until I die and do whatever you command, so please, help me get my revenge.”

“I don’t need a dog.”

“It doesn’t have to be a dog. I’ll be anything else. I’ll be a slave, so please, just help me.”

Peok!

Tae Musang slammed his head on the ground.

His forehead split open, and blood flowed out. Still, Tae Musang did not move.

He was determined not to move until he heard Pyo Wol’s answer.

Pyo Wol looked at Tae Musang for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

Only then did Tae Musang raise his head to look at Pyo Wol.

“Yes, a deal!”

Jin Yugeon’s white hair was Innate, and as a child, it had been a target of ridicule.

Other children would tease him, calling him grandpa or old man. Back then, he was soft-hearted and cried a lot. But now, not a single person would say such things in front of him.

Occasionally, someone who didn’t know any better would mock his white hair, but without exception, they all became wandering ghosts.

As a child, he was naive and powerless, so he suffered. But now that he was grown, things were different.

He was no longer naive, nor was he weak.

At the very least, there was no one he had set his mind to kill that he had failed to.

Jin Yugeon sat in the courtyard of a small mansion far from the port. The Martial Artists who had come with him on the ship were positioned around him.

It was after a Shichen had passed that Jin Yugeon moved.

He rose to his feet and muttered.

“Hwapyeong still hasn’t returned. It seems there’s a problem.”

Hwapyeong was the name of the Martial Artist who had pursued the insolent kid who had been watching them at the port.

He was one of the few Martial Artists Jin Yugeon could trust with a task.

Hwapyeong was a man so reliable that he had never once failed to carry out Jin Yugeon’s orders.

But that man had not returned even after nearly three Shichen had passed since he began the Pursuit.

This fact meant one of two things.

“Either he’s dead, or he’s injured and unable to move.”

Either way, it was not good for Jin Yugeon.

Jin Yugeon gave an order to the Subordinate right beside him.

“Hwapyeong must have left a trail. Track it. Find out who was involved and who interfered, and report back every detail.”

“A report?”

“If Hwapyeong is truly dead, it will be too much for you to handle. Just report. I will be the one to deal with it.”

“Understood.”

The Subordinate bowed his head and replied.

His name was Doyeop, a man with a knack for Pursuit and Assassination.

He had the ability to get himself out of any situation.

Jin Yugeon trusted in Doyeop’s abilities.

Doyeop quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Jin Yugeon’s gaze turned to his other Subordinates.

“And that person?”

“He has been located at the Sea Dragon Clan’s headquarters.”

“Are you certain?”

“When he escaped, a merchant ship of the Sea Dragon Clan happened to be passing nearby.”

“Isn’t it a stretch to specify that he’s with the Sea Dragon Clan based on that alone?”

“When the Sea Dragon Clan’s merchant ship arrived in Haemun, Unit Leader Lee Seong-hak’s party was seen moving a large box.”

“And?”

“Bang Du-yeol of the Crimson Sword Society tried to record the item in the ledger, but was denied confirmation.”

“You mean they couldn’t confirm what was inside?”

“That’s right. More importantly, right after the box went in, the Sea Dragon Clan’s surveillance became several times stricter. Circumstantially, it is certain that the prisoner is inside the Sea Dragon Clan’s headquarters.”

“Hmm!”

Jin Yugeon’s eyes grew cold.

The Sea Dragon Clan was, in name and reality, the ruler of Haemun.

It wasn’t that he feared the Sea Dragon Clan’s military power, but their influence and connections were spread far and wide like a spider’s web, centered on Haemun.

If he mishandled this, it could lead to big problems.

It wasn’t out of fear, but because it was a hassle. That’s why he had kept his distance, trying not to get involved with the Sea Dragon Clan until now. But he couldn’t do that anymore.

The one who had escaped was that important.

Even if he had escaped alone, the Phantom Ship Fleet would have had to pursue him with all its might, but he had also stolen the preciously stored Treasure Map before escaping.

It was an item that had to be recovered.

No matter the cost.

That was the reason Jin Yugeon had come to Haemun.