Chapter 61

The four of them sat around a circular table.

Pyo Wol and Jang Muryang sat facing each other, with Daoshi Go and Heo Ranju seated between them.

They were in a private room of the Inn.

It was a separate space, shielded from outside eyes, making it suitable for a secret conversation.

Jang Muryang ordered the most expensive dishes from the Inn’s owner.

Pyo Wol sat silently, watching Jang Muryang.

Jang Muryang sank deep into his chair and watched Pyo Wol, while Daoshi Go and Heo Ranju were grinning and laughing.

The most surprising one was Heo Ranju.

She was gazing at Pyo Wol with a profound look in her eyes, as if she had no memory of him beating her at all.

Rather, she looked curious about Pyo Wol’s reaction.

Most people would be flustered in this situation. Most of the men she had seen were like that.

She was slightly hoping it would be the same this time. But contrary to her expectations, Pyo Wol’s expression didn’t change one bit.

“Tch! No fun.”

In the end, Heo Ranju pouted with a sulky expression.

Just then, Jang Muryang spoke.

“As you can see, I’m having a headache because of this troublemaker.”

“Why am I a troublemaker?”

“If you go out, act up, and come back beaten, you’re a troublemaker. What did you do right to be staring at me like that?”

“Damn it!”

Having picked a fight for nothing and getting nothing out of it, Heo Ranju pouted.

Heo Ranju feared nothing in the world, but she was somewhat intimidated by Jang Muryang, the Unit Leader.

This was because Jang Muryang was not only outstanding in martial prowess but also led the Black Cloud Corps by setting clear goals with exceptional leadership.

That drive and strong leadership united the Black Cloud Corps, which was made up of Wanderers.

No matter how unconventional Heo Ranju’s way of thinking was, she too was a member of the Black Cloud Corps. All her actions were carried out only within the scope that Jang Muryang permitted.

“Ranju may look like this, but she’s learned quite formidable Martial Arts, yet you subdued her in an instant. Truly amazing. If it’s not too rude, may I know who your Master is? The one who raised such a great Disciple must be a truly remarkable person.”

“……”

“Ah! Don’t misunderstand. I’m saying this out of pure curiosity. I’d also like to build a friendship.”

“……”

“You’re very taciturn. Are you always like this? Or is it because this moment is uncomfortable for you?”

“You already know. Why I’m like this.”

“……”

This time, it was Jang Muryang who pressed his lips together.

‘He won’t be easy to deal with.’

This was the Martial Artist who had subdued Heo Ranju in an instant.

Although she had a quirky and willful personality, she was a strong person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have become the Vice Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps.

Even if she had been careless because she couldn’t predict Pyo Wol’s exact martial prowess, that was no excuse.

The fact was that she had been defeated, and it was certain that Pyo Wol was that much of a threatening existence. That was why he tried to ascertain Pyo Wol’s Martial Sect first.

A Martial Artist with enough martial prowess to subdue Heo Ranju in an instant must have learned his Martial Arts from a proper Martial Sect or a renowned Master.

However, Pyo Wol remained silent.

It was his way of saying he would not reveal anything about himself.

“The young friend is very suspicious.”

“I was taught to suspect everything other than myself.”

“Is that so? Then you were taught well.”

Jang Muryang grinned.

As the meaningless conversation went on, the food arrived.

As the Inn’s finest High-Grade dishes were served one after another, Daoshi Go picked up his chopsticks and joked.

“Let’s eat while we talk. Good words don’t come out on an empty stomach.”

“Yeah! I’ve been starving all day, I’m about to die of hunger.”

Heo Ranju also hurriedly picked up her chopsticks.

As the two lightened the mood, Jang Muryang also smiled and picked up his chopsticks. But to the end, Pyo Wol did not pick up his.

“Why? Do you think the food is poisoned?”

“No! I’m just not hungry.”

“Then you should have said so earlier. I would have ordered a little less food.”

“You’re going to eat it all anyway, right?”

“I suppose…”

Jang Muryang chuckled and looked at Heo Ranju and Daoshi Go.

The two were moving their chopsticks as if they were possessed. Where their chopsticks passed, the food vanished as if by magic.

The two ate like ravenous beasts, without a care for decorum. Thanks to them, more than half of the food had already disappeared into their stomachs.

It seemed there was no need to worry about leftovers.

Jang Muryang knew that dragging the conversation on any further would be useless.

Although he had only exchanged a few words with Pyo Wol, he could picture his personality in his head.

‘The man is suspicious. He doesn’t trust people rashly. He draws a clear line and refuses to let anyone inside it.’

With someone like this, it might be more effective to get straight to the point rather than beating around the bush.

“I’ve investigated your past. Though nothing came up.”

“……”

“Ah! Don’t be offended. Isn’t it human nature to want to know about someone you have a good impression of? The reason I’m saying this is because I have a good impression of you.”

“A good impression?”

“Yes! It would be a lie to say I’m not fond of a Martial Artist who subdued Ranju in an instant. I want to recruit you into the Black Cloud Corps. To you, it may just seem like a group of Wanderers, but I have a dream. My goal is to make the Black Cloud Corps into a proper Sect. To do that, I need every single talented person I can get. I won’t ask what your past is, or why you came to Chengdu. I promise you the best treatment, so join the Black Cloud Corps.”

Jang Muryang looked Pyo Wol straight in the eye.

Pyo Wol thought his gaze resembled that of a bear.

On the surface, it seemed more honest than any other animal, but in reality, there was no animal that could match a bear’s cunning.

With its overwhelming power emanating from its huge body, a cunning brain, and the cruelty to eat its prey alive while it was still breathing, the bear was a top-tier predator.

If one were to be fooled by that kind-looking smile, one would surely be devoured.

“I’ll give you anything. If you want, I’ll even give you Ranju.”

“Orabeoni!”

Heo Ranju shrieked, but Jang Muryang paid her no mind and continued.

“Her personality is like that, but her looks are second to none. I don’t know how she is at night, but all the guys who’ve slept with her seemed satisfied.”

“Ah! Really…”

Heo Ranju huffed and puffed as if she were angry. But Pyo Wol knew she wasn’t.

No matter how much she contorted her face in anger and glared fiercely, there were things she could never hide. The subtle muscle movements around her eyes were one of them.

Pyo Wol could read the other person’s emotions even through such subtle muscle movements.

Heo Ranju was not angry.

On the contrary, she was hoping for a positive response from Pyo Wol.

Heo Ranju’s slightly quickened breathing told Pyo Wol how she felt.

‘That bitch must really like this guy.’

Daoshi Go smiled slightly as he watched Heo Ranju.

Heo Ranju was by no means a chaste woman. Then again, it would be strange if a woman who had rolled around as a Wanderer for so long was chaste.

There was a reason Heo Ranju was called by the Alias Black Widow.

She was a woman who had to have any man she fancied.

The blush that appeared on her face as she looked at Pyo Wol was proof of how much she desired him.

‘Well, even to a man’s eyes, that guy’s face is breathtaking. With Ranju’s personality, she’d probably lock him in a room and be all over him, kissing and sucking.’

Jang Muryang smiled brightly as he looked at Pyo Wol.

His expression seemed to say he was quite looking forward to Pyo Wol’s decision.

His thought was that no man would refuse a beautiful woman like Heo Ranju.

But Pyo Wol’s reply betrayed his expectations.

“It’s not that tempting.”

“Which part don’t you like? Joining the Corps, or me giving you Ranju?”

“All of it.”

“You’re greedier than you look. To still not be satisfied.”

“I don’t really reach for food that will surely give me a stomachache…”

“Hmm!”

Jang Muryang’s gaze grew even sharper.

Heo Ranju’s face, sitting beside him, was flushed red with anger.

‘How dare he reject me?’

She had met countless men until now, but Pyo Wol was the first to reject her.

Her face was filled with a look of shame.

Heo Ranju bit her lip until it bled.

A tense atmosphere hung in the air due to Pyo Wol’s refusal.

Daoshi Go fidgeted with his fingers, watching Pyo Wol and Jang Muryang. He was preparing to strike at any moment, as soon as Jang Muryang gave the order.

It was then.

“Puhaha!”

Jang Muryang suddenly burst into laughter.

After chuckling for a moment, he spoke.

“It’s a joke. A joke! Why are you making such a serious face like a fool? No matter how much I covet you, do you really think I would give you Ranju? That child is such a great treasure.”

“……”

“Your expression was just so serious I wanted to tease you. Well, it doesn’t seem to have worked. Hehe! Still, I want to say this one thing. If possible, don’t cross paths with our Corps. I love to talk, but the other guys act before they think. This is all for your own good, so I hope you’ll take it to heart.”

“Let me say one thing too.”

“I’m all ears.”

“If one day you’re walking down the street and your head falls off your body, if the world you see suddenly comes to an end, you can think it’s because of me.”

“……”

At Pyo Wol’s unexpected words, Jang Muryang’s expression hardened.

“It’s a joke. Why are you making such a serious face? Like a fool.”

Pyo Wol smiled. But Jang Muryang could no longer laugh.

＊＊＊

Jang Muryang’s group left the Inn.

Once outside, the smile completely vanished from Jang Muryang’s face.

He looked at the Inn with a dry expression. To be precise, he was looking at the private room where he had been sitting with Pyo Wol just moments before.

Through the window of the private room, Pyo Wol’s face was visible.

Pyo Wol was also looking down at him.

‘That bastard!’

Jang Muryang’s already dry face turned even colder.

The life of a Wanderer is hard.

They have no fixed place, and no one welcomes them.

The only places where they are most useful are where disputes arise, or where great battles between Sects occur.

Most Wanderers have barely learned miscellaneous skills, let alone proper Martial Arts. So the reality was that they were not treated properly.

But the Black Cloud Corps led by Jang Muryang was different.

It was composed of about fifty Martial Artists who could be called Experts, a hundred or so useful Martial Artists, and the remaining two hundred were cavalrymen from the Outer Regions.

With this much power, they could annihilate a decent Sect overnight. Nevertheless, the reason they roamed the battlefields was that no one in Jianghu welcomed them.

The existing Sects did not welcome a group of Wanderers like the Black Cloud Corps into the territories they controlled.

No Jianghu Sect would welcome the entry of an armed group made up of rough Wanderers.

It would be better if they could crush the existing Sects with force and take their place, but that wasn’t easy either.

Most of the existing Jianghu Sects were connected by strong ties.

The Qingcheng Sect alone was connected by a sense of community with numerous Daoist Temples, martial arts academies, Escort Agencies, and Trading Companies that had branched out over hundreds of years. It was the same for the Emei Sect.

They usually acted individually, but if a group belonging to them was threatened, they would unite as one to resist, so most Sects did not dare to touch them.

The military power of the Black Cloud Corps was certainly great. But that was all.

They didn’t have their own Trading Company like the Qingcheng Sect, nor did they have any Sects to help them. Above all, they lacked a proper system.

Although they maintained their structure with Jang Muryang’s strong leadership and the martial prowess of Vice Unit Leaders Heo Ranju and Yang Woo-jeong, they couldn’t even come close to the depth and vastness of a prestigious Jianghu family like the Qingcheng Sect or the Emei Sect.

Because of that, they didn’t dare to try and squeeze into the areas controlled by the existing Sects.

That was the reason why they had to remain a group of Wanderers despite possessing powerful military force.

In the case of the Thunder Clan, they had been blessed with heavenly luck.

They took advantage of the chaos in Jianghu’s order during the Great Demonic War to establish themselves in the Golden Hall, and at that time, the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were going through a dark period of being Closed-off.

Thanks to that, they were able to become the masters of the Golden Hall in Sichuan Province without any checks. But such luck did not follow the Black Cloud Corps.

Unless another huge war like the Great Demonic War broke out, the chances of that were almost nil.

That’s why he thought the current conflict in Sichuan Province was a golden opportunity.

He didn’t know the exact reason why the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect were fighting a war, but if he could side with the Emei Sect and inflict a major blow on the Qingcheng Sect, he would surely be able to secure a place near the western highlands.

After becoming the hegemon of a region like that, if he exercised the friendships and influence he had built with figures from the Outer Regions, he would soon be able to rise as a prestigious family of Jianghu.

Once the Black Cloud Corps established itself, there were many Wanderers they could attract. If they absorbed those who roamed All Under Heaven like vagrants, even the Emei Sect would not be scary.

That was Jang Muryang’s grand plan. But a stumbling block appeared before his plan even began.

It was Pyo Wol, who was looking at him from beyond the window.

When he heard that Heo Ranju had been utterly defeated, he had only thought that Pyo Wol’s Martial Arts were formidable.

Such a great Expert was worth recruiting into the Black Cloud Corps. That’s why he had come to recruit him personally. But the Pyo Wol he saw in person was not someone who would be under anyone.

The moment he first saw Pyo Wol, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Leading the Black Cloud Corps, he had participated in numerous battles and met just as many people. So, Jang Muryang was confident that his judgment of people was accurate. Pyo Wol was the first person to make him feel a shiver at first sight.

It wasn’t just because of the powerful Martial Arts that subdued Heo Ranju in an instant.

If you lined up all the Martial Artists who could subdue Heo Ranju with just Martial Arts, there would be enough to circle a large lake and then some.

That’s how many Experts there were in Jianghu, and there were also many Martial Artists who had reached unfathomable realms.

Jang Muryang was not afraid of them. He thought he could grasp their inner thoughts even if their Martial Arts were strong.

But Pyo Wol was different.

From the moment he first saw him, he couldn’t read anything.

Not just his inner thoughts, but also his emotional changes, habits, and anything else could not be grasped.

It felt like facing a deep darkness.

He had never felt this way before in his life.

If he had met him somewhere else, he would have just ignored him and passed by. No matter what kind of existence the opponent was, if it had nothing to do with him, he could just ignore it.

But this was Sichuan Province.

This was where the Black Cloud Corps was trying to make a new start.

He could not tolerate even the smallest variable.

“Daoshi Go!”

“Speak, Unit Leader!”

“Assign Maun and a few more of the kids to him. From now on, we need to keep him under close surveillance.”

“Understood.”

“And Ranju!”

“……”

Heo Ranju did not answer.

Her lip was torn and bleeding.

Pyo Wol’s rejection had been that much of a shock to her.

A deep killing intent was brewing in her eyes.

“I’m going to kill him.”

At Heo Ranju’s chilling voice, Jang Muryang chuckled.

“Of course, you will. He dared to refuse my offer. But not now. There’s nothing to gain from confronting him now.”

“Is wealth that important? When my pride has been crushed?”

“Ranju! You foolish thing. A person needs wealth to protect their pride. Once this is over, I’ll let you do whatever you want, so just bear with it for a little while. Right now, securing our base in Sichuan Province comes first.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Of course.”

Jang Muryang’s smile deepened.

Even if it wasn’t just for Heo Ranju’s sake, he had no intention of letting Pyo Wol live.

Pyo Wol’s unique atmosphere and gaze bothered him.

‘It’s always guys like that who cause problems.’