Chapter 360

“Kuaack!”

“Ugh!”

Wails erupted from all over the shores of Poyang Lake.

It was the sound of the Jewon Merchant Group’s martial artists crushing the martial artists of the Blood Phantom Organization. The Jewon Merchant Group’s martial artists were terrifying.

They knew exactly how to find the well-hidden members of the Blood Phantom Organization.

Like a fine-meshed net scraping the bottom of the lake, they hunted down anyone connected to the Blood Phantom Organization, starting from the very bottom.

They hadn’t acted until now, but the Jewon Merchant Group had gathered a considerable amount of information on the Blood Phantom Organization over time.

Collecting information on those who could become a threat was one of the basics for a Trading Company.

For now, there were no conflicting interests to cause a clash, but there was no telling what problems might arise if the Blood Phantom Organization grew larger in the future. In preparation for that time, the Jewon Merchant Group had collected information on them.

Moreover, they had more than enough justification.

Not only had they brutally killed Gu Chang-hae, a martial artist of the Jewon Merchant Group, but they had also desecrated his body.

All the martial artists of the Jewon Merchant Group were enraged.

As if to show what a bloody revenge was, they ruthlessly pursued everyone related to the Blood Phantom Organization. At that, even those who had hidden them out of fear of the Blood Phantom Organization could no longer endure and began to reveal their whereabouts.

“We’re in big trouble. Jjakgwi was captured by the Jewon Merchant Group bastards.”

“I heard Hyung-nim Do-eul was also annihilated.”

Bad news poured in one after another.

“Fuck!”

Deung Cheolung bit his lip until it bled.

He never imagined that the great Blood Phantom Organization would collapse overnight like this.

The place he was in was one of the Blood Phantom Organization’s safe houses.

It was a secretly prepared location whose existence was unknown to anyone but his most trusted subordinates.

He thought it was just a passing shower.

He was confident he could endure, no matter how formidable the Jewon Merchant Group was. He had thought he had that much strength. But that confidence was shattered to pieces in just half a day.

The pursuit of the Jewon Merchant Group, combing through from the very bottom, was enough to make him shudder.

Deung Cheolung raised a liquor bottle and gulped it down.

“You think I’ll back down like this? Fuck! The Jewon Merchant Group? Fine, let’s see this through to the end. I’ll show you just how tenacious and terrifying this Deung Cheolung is.”

Deung Cheolung burned with rage.

“Hoho!”

Just then, someone’s charming laugh echoed.

It was the laughter of a woman squatting in a corner of the room.

She was a woman who had been captured because her father couldn’t repay his King Yama Debt to Deung Cheolung. Her eyes, after being violated by Deung Cheolung and having her life ruined, were filled with the light of deep-seated resentment.

“This bitch!”

“Hoho! Serves you right. You made others shed tears of blood, and now you’ve received divine punishment.”

“This bitch…”

Slap!

Enraged, Deung Cheolung slapped the woman’s cheek.

Struck by a hand as large as a cauldron lid, the woman collapsed to the floor. The shock was so great that she couldn’t even scream.

“Fucking bitch, fanning the flames of a burning house? Huh!”

Deung Cheolung snorted as he looked at the collapsed woman.

Still not appeased, he stomped on her further.

“Boss!”

If his subordinate, Oh Sinpyeong, hadn’t entered just then, the woman might have died.

Deung Cheolung looked at Oh Sinpyeong with irritation.

“What is it?”

“They have arrived.”

“They? The bastards who caused this mess?”

“Yes!”

“Fuck! Good. Where are those sons of bitches?”

“They are outside now.”

At Oh Sinpyeong’s answer, Deung Cheolung rolled up his sleeves and went outside.

Outside, about a dozen martial artists were standing.

A dangerous scent emanated from the martial artists, who were wearing red blood robes and red bamboo hats.

The fierce expression on Deung Cheolung’s face, who had come out looking grim, instantly changed to that of a gentle lamb.

No matter how fearlessly Deung Cheolung ran wild, he wasn’t foolish enough to misread his opponent’s atmosphere and energy. In fact, his intuition in this area was so exceptionally developed that no one could match him.

“You’ve arrived?”

Deung Cheolung spoke cautiously.

The martial artist who appeared to be the leader replied.

“I heard there was a problem.”

The moment he heard his voice, Deung Cheolung felt goosebumps rise on his arms.

‘Fuck! He’s fucking murderous.’

One wrong word here, and his head could fly off in an instant. He spoke with the most polite attitude he could muster.

“Our business is on the verge of ruin because we helped you.”

“I thought it was noisy outside. So the Blood Phantom Organization was indeed taking a hit.”

“Yes! If this continues, the Blood Phantom Organization will be in a state from which it can never recover. If the Blood Phantom Organization is destroyed, I will no longer be able to help you Great Heroes.”

“Are you daring to threaten me?”

“It’s not a threat, I’m just stating the facts.”

“Hmm!”

Fortunately, Deung Cheolung’s threat-that-wasn’t-a-threat seemed to have worked. The lead martial artist seemed to ponder for a moment.

Deung Cheolung held his breath and watched the lead martial artist.

“The Jewon Merchant Group, you said? The ones who laid waste to the Blood Phantom Organization?”

“That’s right. If you just kill Noh Taetae and a few of the top brass, we’ll take care of the rest.”

“Hmph! If we eliminate them, are you confident you can take control of the Jewon Merchant Group?”

“Heheh! I’ve lived my whole life on malice and grit. If I can’t even do that, I deserve to die.”

“Good! We will solve the problem.”

“Really? Thank you.”

Deung Cheolung’s face brightened as he bowed repeatedly.

The lead martial artist looked at Deung Cheolung with contemptuous eyes. Fortunately, the bamboo hat hid his expression.

Thanks to that, Deung Cheolung couldn’t see the look in the lead martial artist’s eyes.

Deung Cheolung asked cautiously.

“So, until when should I wait?”

“By the time tonight passes, everything will have changed.”

“Haha! I understand. I will prepare as well.”

“Prepare?”

“Yes! Don’t I have to turn the Jewon Merchant Group upside down too? Heheh!”

Deung Cheolung let out a sinister laugh.

The sight of his eyes gleaming menacingly, as if he had never been intimidated, further grated on the lead martial artist’s nerves. However, to operate comfortably on the shores of Poyang Lake, the cooperation of someone like Deung Cheolung was essential.

“Be careful not to make a move until you hear good news.”

“Don’t you worry. What we do best is holding our breath and waiting for an opportunity. Heheh!”

“We’ll see.”

With those last words, the lead martial artist left the safe house with his subordinates.

Once outside, the lead martial artist looked back at the safe house and muttered.

“To think that I, Cheol Dae-jin, have to work with such scum. Life is truly fleeting.”

“Isn’t it a necessary evil? Try to think of it positively.”

A subordinate standing beside him said cautiously.

Cheol Dae-jin nodded and asked his subordinate.

“Who are the key figures in the Jewon Merchant Group?”

“Noh Taetae, the Unit Leaders, and Ju Seol-pung, who is currently leading the suppression of the Blood Phantom Organization, are the key figures.”

“Ju Seol-pung?”

“He is Noh Taetae’s great-grandson and a renowned talent in this area.”

“Is that so?”

“His decisiveness and intelligence are no joke. If he becomes a Unit Leader of the Jewon Merchant Group, there will surely be many problems in the future.”

“Then add him to the assassination list.”

“Understood.”

Cheol Dae-jin looked around at his subordinates and said.

“Just in case, send a letter to Ok as well. Tell them to prepare for any contingency.”

“Is there really a need for that? If we handle it quietly among ourselves, no one will know.”

“That’s what we thought when we wiped out the Hao Clan branch, and this mess still happened.”

“I apologize.”

“I’m not interrogating you. I’m preparing.”

“Understood. I will send a letter to Ok.”

“Mm!”

Cheol Dae-jin nodded and gazed at Poyang Lake. Seeing Cheol Dae-jin’s back, the martial artists in blood robes trembled.

It was because they knew Cheol Dae-jin’s true nature.

Not a single blade of grass was left in his wake. That was why he was given the Alias, Grass-Cutting Blood Demon Sword.

＊＊＊

Ju Seol-pung sat by the window, looking outside.

“We’ve found seven people connected to the Blood Phantom Organization.”

“We’ve located one of their safe houses.”

Urgent reports kept coming in.

All of them were related to the Blood Phantom Organization.

A smile appeared on Ju Seol-pung’s lips.

It was the Blood Phantom Organization he had been thinking he would have to deal with someday.

For some time, the Blood Phantom Organization had been growing like poisonous mushrooms in their own backyard. By the time he thought it was no big deal, they had already spread their roots throughout Poyang Lake, making it difficult to know where to even begin. But thanks to Gu Chang-hae, he had gained a good pretext.

Gu Chang-hae’s death was unfortunate, but thanks to him, they were about to uproot the Blood Phantom Organization, so it couldn’t be better.

There was one more piece of good news.

Ju Seol-pung received the mounted scroll that was on the table.

Inside was a formal invitation.

“The Anti-Golden Heaven Society…”

The invitation stated that he was being invited to be a member in the formation of the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.

Ju Seol-pung knew better than anyone what kind of organization the Golden Sky Society was.

Although Ju Seol-pung was a prodigy skilled in both literary and martial arts, he had not received any invitation from the Golden Sky Society.

He pretended to be unfazed on the outside, but inwardly, his pride was deeply wounded.

He wouldn’t have joined even if an offer had come, but the fact that he hadn’t been invited at all was what angered him.

On the other hand, the Anti-Golden Heaven Society recognized his value and sent him a formal invitation. The ones who sent the invitation were none other than Yong Hasang of Dragon Sky Valley and Namgung Wol of the Thousand Water Society.

The weight of their names alone added gravity.

The fact that they acknowledged him as an equal pleased him.

“But I must be cautious in deciding to join the Anti-Golden Heaven Society.”

One of the most important things for a merchant was the ability to read the currents of the times.

He had to accurately grasp how the currents were flowing before making a decision; a single misstep could endanger not only himself but the entire Jewon Merchant Group.

He had to navigate between the Golden Sky Society and the Anti-Golden Heaven Society to gain the maximum benefit. That was the way to serve the Jewon Merchant Group.

“First, before that, I will completely clean up the Blood Phantom Organization.”

Cleaning up the Blood Phantom Organization would strengthen his friendship with Pyo Wol.

In a time like this, when signs of Troubled Times were appearing, building a friendship with someone like Pyo Wol would be a great help in the future.

Ju Seol-pung smiled and stood up from his seat.

The Jewon Merchant Group owned mansions in key locations around Poyang Lake, and the one Ju Seol-pung was currently staying in was one of them.

As it was at a transportation hub, it was convenient for receiving reports and handling other business, so he often used this place.

Fortunately, the task of cleaning up the Blood Phantom Organization was proceeding smoothly.

At this rate, it seemed everything would be resolved within a day, just as he had promised Pyo Wol.

It was then.

“Keuk!”

Suddenly, a small scream was heard.

The sound was so faint that at first, he thought he had imagined it.

“Heup!”

At that moment, another scream was heard.

Only then did Ju Seol-pung realize that what he had heard was not a delusion.

“Who?”

Ju Seol-pung quickly grabbed the sword he had placed next to the table.

Goosebumps rose all over his body.

He felt a strong sense of crisis.

“Could it be that the Blood Phantom Organization bastards are counterattacking?”

Ju Seol-pung rushed outside.

The inside of the mansion was silent.

As if no one was there.

Considering how people had been coming and going just a moment ago to deliver urgent reports, the silent scene before him felt like a lie.

Ju Seol-pung shouted.

“Is no one there?”

But there was no answer.

“What?”

Ju Seol-pung’s face twisted unpleasantly.

It was then.

Someone staggered towards Ju Seol-pung.

“Y-Young Master!”

“You’re Ah-chil? What happened?”

Ju Seol-pung recognized the blood-soaked man.

He was Ah-chil, one of the martial artists of the Jewon Merchant Group.

“Q-Quickly, run away.”

“What?”

“Them… demons… Keuk!”

At that moment, Ah-chil collapsed. As he crumbled like a sandcastle, three figures in blood robes could be seen standing behind him.

“You’re Ju Seol-pung of the Jewon Merchant Group, correct?”