Chapter 49

Pyo Wol, having left the branch, turned his gaze to the alley right next to it.

“Who told you to grab a hammer without permission?”

“Have you no sense of hierarchy? How dare a punk like you touch a hammer we haven’t even been allowed to hold?”

Several men were stomping on someone.

The one curled up like a shrimp, enduring the merciless violence, was none other than Tang Sochu, whom he had seen inside the workshop.

The ones stomping on Tang Sochu were the Do-je learning the workshop trade at the Crimson Dragon Clan’s branch.

The Crimson Dragon Clan was fundamentally a Sect formed by artisans. The Boss managed its operations, but the Crimson Dragon Clan’s authority came from its craftsmen.

That was why it was important which craftsman one studied under. The branch master was an exceptionally skilled craftsman even within the Crimson Dragon Clan, and countless Do-je wished to receive his teachings.

However, becoming an official Do-je required a long wait, and during that time, it was an unspoken rule that they had to handle menial chores.

Tang Sochu had broken that rule and picked up a hammer.

It was, in a way, natural for the Do-je to be furious with Tang Sochu.

“You filthy Tang Clan bloodline.”

“No wonder you were ruined, breaking the rules like this.”

The Do-je spat out words akin to curses as they committed their violence.

Even while being beaten like that, Tang Sochu did not let out a single scream.

His eyes were full of Poison Qi, and his lips were clamped shut.

His flesh was torn and burst, with blood flowing freely, but the look in his eyes never softened.

Pyo Wol watched Tang Sochu’s face intently.

As time passed, the Do-je’s violence grew harsher. But Tang Sochu only clenched his teeth harder and endured.

Pyo Wol liked the Poison Qi in Tang Sochu.

Because he himself had survived with that same kind of Poison Qi.

Suddenly, Tang Sochu’s eyes turned toward Pyo Wol. He had sensed Pyo Wol’s gaze even in the midst of it all.

The two men’s gazes met in mid-air.

Pyo Wol’s eyes, in which the flow of time seemed to have stopped, and Tang Sochu’s gaze, which seemed empty yet was full of Poison Qi, were somehow alike.

Clang!

Pyo Wol threw the Flying Dagger he had bought at the branch to Tang Sochu.

The Flying Dagger landed precisely in front of Tang Sochu’s hand.

Pyo Wol answered Tang Sochu’s gaze, which seemed to ask for the meaning.

“Humans are more ferocious than beasts. Once they see you as weak, they’ll cling to you and tear at you until you die. Your ordeal won’t end just because you endure like this. Don’t endure it. If enduring becomes a habit, you’ll have to live like a wretched dog forever.”

“What?”

“When did he?”

Only then did the Do-je realize someone was standing in the alley and wore troubled expressions.

This kind of violence was usually carried out in secret.

Nothing good would come from it getting out.

The oldest of the Do-je spoke with a fierce expression.

“Hey, customer! Don’t say useless things, just be on your way. This is an internal matter of our Crimson Dragon Clan.”

His voice was polite, but the content within it was anything but.

Mentioning the Crimson Dragon Clan was intended to pressure Pyo Wol.

In reality, the Crimson Dragon Clan’s influence in Sichuan Province was immense.

While their martial power itself was lacking, they were the only Sect capable of supplying a large quantity of high-quality weapons, so many Sects in Sichuan Province were connected to them.

Because of that, most problems could be solved by bringing up the Crimson Dragon Clan.

The Do-je had mentioned the Crimson Dragon Clan with that in mind. But Pyo Wol was neither intimidated nor frightened by the name of the Crimson Dragon Clan.

The life he had lived was too harsh for him to be scared by a threat of this level.

Pyo Wol didn’t even spare the Do-je a glance, looking only at Tang Sochu. Pyo Wol’s attitude further provoked the Do-je’s anger.

“This guy, still…”

It was the moment the Do-je’s atmosphere grew even more hostile.

“Aargh!”

Suddenly, one of the Do-je let out a scream.

When the other Do-je turned in surprise, they saw Tang Sochu biting into the screaming Do-je’s shoulder.

He had bitten so deeply that a tremendous amount of Fresh Blood flowed from the Do-je’s shoulder, staining Tang Sochu’s face and chest red.

“This crazy bastard!”

“Let go of him, now!”

The Do-je, horrified, tried to pull Tang Sochu off. But when Tang Sochu brandished the Flying Dagger threateningly, they couldn’t approach rashly.

“Keuheuk!”

The Do-je whose shoulder was being bitten thrashed in pain.

Only just before his breath gave out did Tang Sochu let go of the shoulder he had been biting.

“This crazy bastard…”

“Are you insane? How can you bite a person like an animal?”

The Do-je supported their blood-soaked comrade and glared at Tang Sochu. Tang Sochu paid no mind to their accusations.

“When did you ever treat me like a person? You treated me like an animal.”

“You think you’ll get away with this?”

“I don’t care. I’m tired of being beaten by you for no reason. The next bastard who uses violence on me, I’ll slit his throat.”

Tang Sochu pointed the Flying Dagger at the Do-je. At that, the Do-je’s eyes wavered.

It was as if Ghost Fire was rising in Tang Sochu’s eyes.

That murderous gaze made the Do-je shrink back.

They say even a cornered rat will bite, and Tang Sochu was just like that. The only difference was that a rat only has tiny teeth, but in Tang Sochu’s hand was a Flying Dagger. A Flying Dagger with a chillingly sharp blade, at that.

“Damn it! You, just you wait.”

“Crazy bastard!”

The Do-je eventually retreated, taking their injured comrade with them. Only after they had all disappeared did Tang Sochu spit.

“Kaak! Ptui!”

Blood was mixed in with his saliva.

His internal organs were severely damaged.

“Da…mn it!”

Pyo Wol supported Tang Sochu’s collapsing body and asked.

“Your home?”

“Don’t have one! Take me to the quarters inside the workshop.”

Pyo Wol took Tang Sochu to the place he mentioned.

Tang Sochu’s quarters were so shabby they could barely keep out the wind and rain. Even a pigsty wouldn’t be this bad.

Inside the room, there was only a single shabby straw mat laid out.

Pyo Wol looked inside the room and muttered.

“Nice!”

“You call this nice? Are you crazy?”

“This is practically a palace. I used to live in a place swarming with snakes.”

“There’s a limit to lying. You think saying that will comfort me?”

“Do I look like the kind of person who comforts others?”

“That’s…”

Tang Sochu couldn’t continue his sentence.

It didn’t seem likely that a person with eyes as emotionless as Pyo Wol’s would go so far as to lie to comfort someone else.

‘Then does he mean it’s true he lived in a snake pit?’

Tang Sochu let out an involuntary groan.

He instinctively felt that Pyo Wol’s words were true.

Pyo Wol stood up from his spot.

Tang Sochu asked.

“You’re leaving?”

“I have a place to be.”

“Where?”

“Are you always so interested in other people’s business? You ask quite persistently.”

“Didn’t you also meddle in the affairs of a complete stranger?”

“That’s true.”

Pyo Wol nodded and looked at Tang Sochu.

A face that somehow resembled his own was looking straight at him.

“I incurred a debt a long time ago. I was thoroughly used, abandoned, and hunted.”

“So you’re going to get revenge?”

“Of course.”

“Your opponent must be quite the pushover, seeing as you can even attempt revenge.”

“Not really. They’re quite a handful.”

“Who is your opponent?”

“The Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect, and the Sects that follow them.”

“Are you insane? Are you planning to declare war against all the powers in Sichuan Province?”

Tang Sochu raised his voice.

His face was flushed, a sign that he was genuinely agitated.

Pyo Wol shrugged his shoulders.

“I might be crazy. But that doesn’t mean I’m not in my right mind.”

“So you’re really going to do it?”

“I have no reason to lie to you.”

“You really are completely insane.”

“Now give me back that Flying Dagger. I bought it because I need it, you see.”

“This piece of trash?”

Tang Sochu looked at the Flying Dagger in his hand.

“That piece of trash is worth one Silver Tael.”

“Hehe! If you run wild trying to get revenge with something like this, it’ll break in no time. Just throw this trash away.”

Tang Sochu tossed the Flying Dagger aside and rummaged in a corner of the room. A moment later, he reappeared with a leather belt in his hand.

“Take it!”

“What is it?”

“You’ll know when you take it, won’t you?”

Pyo Wol took the leather belt and examined it.

On the outside, it looked like a simple belt, but when he looked at the inside, he saw a dozen Flying Blades ingeniously stored.

Pyo Wol took out a Flying Blade and examined it closely.

The sharply honed blade, the balance, and the strength were all perfect. At the end of the Flying Blade’s handle was a small ring, allowing something like a Silver Thread to be attached.

It was such a fine item that he could understand why Tang Sochu had called the Flying Dagger he bought at the branch trash.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Who else would make it for me? I made it all myself.”

“You must have gone through a lot of trouble.”

“What trouble? It was hard because I was short on time making it in secret, but the process of making it wasn’t hard at all.”

A sense of pride could be heard in Tang Sochu’s voice.

“Is it okay to give something like this to me?”

“You said you’re getting revenge on the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, right?”

“So?”

“It’s because of them that the Tang Clan fell into ruin like this. Of course, I’m not saying the Tang Clan did right. In any case, siding with the Demonic Cult and betraying the Jianghu was wrong. But I can never forgive them for pressuring the Closed-off Tang Clan from all sides and sowing discord to bring about its downfall.”

Tang Sochu had inherited the Tang Clan’s Blacksmith skills along with its grudges.

“So you want me to get revenge with these Flying Blades?”

“I’d have no regrets if they could drink their fill of their blood.”

“That’s not a difficult request. But what makes you trust me enough to give me such an item? You could have earned a lot of money if you sold it on the market.”

“Money isn’t important to me.”

Tang Sochu’s voice was filled with resentment.

The hardships he had endured just for inheriting the Tang surname were beyond description.

He hadn’t even joined the Crimson Dragon Clan entirely of his own will. He was forced to join due to pressure from the branch master.

The Crimson Dragon Clan was extremely afraid of the Tang Clan’s revival. That was why they wanted to keep Tang Sochu, who inherited the Tang surname, close by to monitor him.

If they were going to take him in as a Disciple, they should have at least let him hold a hammer, but they made him waste his time without passing on any skills, just because he was a Do-je.

Because of that, Tang Sochu secretly practiced his Blacksmith skills, which led to today’s incident.

“Everyone told me to endure. You’re the first person to tell me not to.”

“Looks like some nonsense I said without knowing the situation made quite an impression.”

“Sometimes, nonsense is sweeter than honeyed words.”

“Alright! I’ll use this item.”

Pyo Wol undid his existing belt and fastened the leather belt Tang Sochu had made around his waist.

It was so High-Grade that no one would ever think it contained Flying Blades.

Pyo Wol moved his hand and drew one of the stored Flying Blades.

The Flying Blade slid out without a sound.

Pyo Wol repeated the action of sheathing and drawing the Flying Blade several times.

Tang Sochu couldn’t hide his surprised expression at his increasingly fast movements. His Eye Power couldn’t even follow Pyo Wol’s hand movements.

It was as if the Flying Blade was moving on its own.

‘My eyes weren’t wrong. The owner of this item is that man.’

He didn’t know Pyo Wol’s name or identity. But he was certain that he was the owner of the item he had made.

“Ah, come to think of it, I don’t even know your name.”

“Pyo Wol. That’s my name.”

“I’ll remember it.”When you hear my name, you can assume I’m using the Ghostly Rain.””

“Ghostly Rain?”

“It would be empty for such a fine fellow to not have a name, wouldn’t it?”

“Ghostly Rain… I like it!”

Tang Sochu smiled for the first time.

It was a name that perfectly suited the item he had painstakingly created.

“Then take care of yourself.”

“My name is Tang Sochu. If the Ghostly Rain ever gets damaged, come find me anytime. I’ll repair it good as new.”

“I’ll do that.”

Pyo Wol sheathed the Ghostly Rain in his belt and went outside.

Left alone, Tang Sochu watched Pyo Wol’s back disappear beyond the door and muttered.

“Pyo Wol! I pray that your name will shake Sichuan Province.”

The more the name Pyo Wol was heard, the more the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect would decline.

He didn’t believe that Pyo Wol, a single individual, could really do anything to the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect, the two great powers of Sichuan.

He could only hope.

That he would inflict enough damage to relieve some of his own pent-up anger.