Chapter 51: Collapse

“Tsk, what was Blood Demon again?”

“You don’t know Blood Demon?”

Seo Yu-gyeom clicked his tongue. Truly, his friend knew nothing when it came to Murim.

As they walked together through the long corridor, he decided to briefly explain what Blood Demon was.

“He was from long ago. Anyway, a master from decades past. A demonic figure. One that was utterly heinous.”

“……”

“They say thousands of lives perished at his hands. Maybe there was some exaggeration mixed in, but what’s certain is this: even the Murim Alliance Leader of the time died, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Leader died, the foremost master of the Unorthodox Faction died. Everyone just died.”

“…A terrifying man indeed.”

Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes widened.

‘Well, well. To think I’d ever hear this guy say someone is scary.’ That was exactly the expression on Jin Seong-un’s face.

Jin Seong-un coughed awkwardly, searching for another subject. If they kept talking about Blood Demon, it would be hard to keep his expression in check.

“Anyway, what on earth is the principle behind formations? The space itself felt strange.”

“Even if I explain, you’d find it hard to understand.”

“I studied writing by myself even back when I lived as an inn waiter.”

For once, Jin Seong-un retorted sharply.

Seo Yu-gyeom burst into laughter and then began to explain the basics of formation principles. It was nothing more than a beginner’s explanation…

But the focus in Jin Seong-un’s eyes gradually faded.

Seo Yu-gyeom gave up explaining. After all, this was the guy who could rip apart Iron Artisan’s formation purely by force. Whether he understood formations or not, it wouldn’t affect his life.

“I more or less understood.”

“Really?”

“Anyway, it’s different from the space we normally live in, isn’t it?”

“…Well, yes, but…”

Too much had been omitted.

Seo Yu-gyeom chose not to correct him.

Yet Jin Seong-un really did catch a certain sense. After all, he was already familiar with a similar space.

The space where the Martial Gods resided inside Seong-un Inn.

Jin Seong-un called that place the Martial God Realm.

For a moment, he wondered if that Martial God Realm might also be a kind of formation.

The two crossed through Saryonggangbang without being noticed by anyone. If there had been masters strong enough to pierce their concealment, they wouldn’t have stayed in a back-alley Unorthodox faction like Saryonggangbang in the first place.

Just as they were about to slip away, Seo Yu-gyeom suddenly stopped.

I need to check something.

He immediately changed direction.

Climbing up the tallest pavilion in the estate, he gazed down at Saryonggangbang.

One of an assassin’s specialties was grasping the layout of an estate. Though the buildings all looked similar, Seo Yu-gyeom could clearly tell what function each one served.

‘They wouldn’t keep such an important ledger in the archive…’

Then one pavilion caught his eye.

Within the rather large compound of Saryonggangbang, the Leader’s Hall sat at the very back. And deeper than that was only one other building.

“There it is.”

Without hesitation, Seo Yu-gyeom leapt forward.

.

.

.

“……”

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom stared at a thick book resting on the desk. It was presumed to be the ledger with the Hwa-un Trading Company.

“What shall we do?”

In response to Jin Seong-un’s question, Seo Yu-gyeom tapped the book with his finger.

After a brief moment of thought, Seo Yu-gyeom decided to check its contents. He didn’t need to read everything carefully; instead, he flipped through quickly.

Seo Yu-gyeom’s expression shifted constantly, until at last it brightened greatly.

“Well killed!”

From what was written in this ledger, the previous Leader of the Hwa-un Trading Company was a bastard. Killing a competing merchant in the trade rivalry was considered one of the gentler tactics. He would also forcibly impose debts on families, sucking them dry to the marrow until the entire household was ruined.

And this had gone on for more than ten years. Even from before Seo Yu-gyeom had joined the Hwa-un Trading Company.

If this was only what was done together with Saryonggangbang, one could only imagine how many other atrocities he committed with the other three great Unorthodox gangs.

Seo Yu-gyeom inwardly thought the previous Leader deserved to die. He had never felt guilt over killing him, but when he thought of his sister, his heart had felt uneasy. Now, however, he realized that even if he hadn’t killed the man, sooner or later someone else would have cut him down.

“Let’s take this. Burn the rest.”

Nodding, Jin Seong-un summoned the Threefold True Flame and lightly tossed it. After setting fire to a few spots and pouring out his force, the flames spread in an instant throughout the entire building.

F-fire!!

Urgent shouts echoed from outside.

There were still plenty of martial artists left in Saryonggangbang.

But hidden within the thick black smoke, no one could see the two escaping figures.

The two washed themselves in a nearby river and then entered Deyang Inn.

When they appeared after only half a day, the innkeeper jumped in shock.

“Y-you two…”

Ever since they had left, the innkeeper’s heart had been uneasy and uncomfortable. After all, he felt responsible for them becoming entangled with the ruthless Saryonggangbang.

Moreover, they had said they were heading straight there. They might have looked confident in their martial arts, but Saryonggangbang was not some petty back-alley gang.

Yet here they were, back in only half a day. And looking perfectly unscathed.

“You didn’t actually go, did you?”

The innkeeper asked nervously.

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom simply nodded vaguely.

“Yes, well.”

There was no need to tell the innkeeper everything. Judging by his expression, if they did, his heart would pound so much he wouldn’t be able to sleep for several days.

“Are you still running the business?”

“Of course. Truthfully, I stopped accepting guests for a while because I was anxious… but this is my work, after all.”

Jin Seong-un nodded. There was always something to learn from merchants who had operated a shop for so long.

Like No Sang-won, for example. Always smiling and easygoing, yet with an uncanny depth when it came to handling people.

Settling down, Jin Seong-un spoke.

“Braised Pork Belly and Yangha Daegu, please.”

“…Just a moment.”

The innkeeper replied, bringing over a glass and jug of water. He wasn’t an unfriendly man by nature. It was just that life under the oppression of Saryonggangbang had made him curt and sensitive.

Before long, Braised Pork Belly and Yangha Daegu were served. The aroma and appearance were exactly the same as the food that the martial artist from Saryonggangbang had earlier flipped over.

In other words, even amidst his busy hardship, the innkeeper still cared about the food.

He wanted to ask questions but held back. Normally, when young men came as customers, it was better not to pester them.

If he tried to be friendly and chatty, most wouldn’t return the next day.

But now—

At the very least, these words had to be spoken.

“Thank you. Let me treat you to food and wine.”

It had already been years since he had first been bullied by Saryonggangbang. Naturally, there were plenty of times when he was beaten up by young punks, fresh-faced as the morning sun.

The innkeeper was a man before he was a merchant. To be humiliated like that before others brought deep disgrace and shame.

Though many martial artists came to the inn, not one had ever helped. That was the weight the Four Great Black Path Gangs held here in Deyang.

For the first time, someone had stepped forward for him. As a merchant, as a man, as a human being, he felt it only right to repay at least this much.

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom felt his sincerity, so they neither refused nor pretended with modesty.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Those words were enough.

Both Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom understood.

As expected, the innkeeper showed a broad smile and soon disappeared into the kitchen.

Only then did the two fill their cups with wine.

Gurgle, gurgle—the clear sound rang as the bright liquor slowly filled their cups.

“Oh…”

Jin Seong-un stared at the Yangha Daegu for a moment. To the naked eye, it didn’t look much different from any common baijiu.

But it had such a uniquely strong aroma, it almost made one suspect that grains had been ground directly into it.

Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom glanced at their cups for a moment before downing them together.

“…!!”

Both their eyes widened at once.

Without time to pass judgment, they simultaneously raised their chopsticks and placed Braised Pork Belly into their mouths.

The moment they drank, they knew. Why the Hwa-un Trading Company of Sichuan Province had come to monopolize Yangha Daegu, which originated from Hebei Province.

The deep, rich taste of the baijiu paired perfectly with Sichuan’s spicy dishes.

As he savored the wine and meat, Jin Seong-un spoke.

“…Let’s finish eating first, then talk.”

“I agree.”

By mutual consent, the two fell silent and began devouring food and wine. It was, after all, their first proper meal since arriving in Deyang.

They had run into a pickpocket as soon as they arrived, had their food and drink overturned by Black Path thugs at the inn, and their next “meal” had been set in the middle of an Unorthodox faction’s stronghold—untouchable.

Looking back, so much had happened in just half a day. Nothing in the world was sweeter than wine drunk after finishing a task.

Seo Yu-gyeom focused on the Braised Pork Belly, deducing the ingredients and cooking process, while Jin Seong-un simply immersed himself in the taste and the inn’s atmosphere.

Though they had just crushed a Black Path faction, at heart one was still an inn waiter and the other a cook.

Watching with satisfaction from the kitchen, the innkeeper brought another bottle of Yangha Daegu.

When Jin Seong-un tried to pay, the innkeeper waved his hand.

“Didn’t I say I would treat you?”

“Two bottles is a bit…”

Yangha Daegu was not cheap.

Sensing the man’s sincerity, Jin Seong-un accepted one bottle but felt uneasy about taking two.

The innkeeper laughed heartily and said:

“Even if you gave me money, it’d end up flowing to those bastards anyway. Just enjoy your drink and leave with peace of mind.”

Though spoken like a joke, Jin Seong-un, as someone who ran a business, felt the truth of those words deeply.

Merchants must earn money. Whether for money itself or as a means to another end, it didn’t matter. Only by making profit and gaining success could one truly be a merchant.

Even when robbed of the fruits of labor and stripped of all willpower, they still had to keep working—for their families.

Jin Seong-un had already guessed the innkeeper’s physical state. From years of overwork alone, there wasn’t a single joint—ankle, knee, waist, wrist, shoulder—that remained sound.

‘If we had been any later, he might not have survived the year.’

Either his ankle or wrist would have completely given out. What followed was predictable.

Unable to work, he would lose his inn, lose his home, perhaps even lose his family.

Judging from the ledger of Saryonggangbang’s misdeeds, they were more than capable of trafficking people.

Only after stripping him of everything would Saryonggangbang have let him go. That was the nature of Flame King Loans.

“Thank you for the treat. But this isn’t for the wine. Please just take it.”

Jin Seong-un forcibly pressed money into the innkeeper’s hand.

It wasn’t for food or drink.

It was for the innkeeper’s perseverance, enduring the work alone in such circumstances. That spirit had deeply moved Jin Seong-un, and the money was his way of showing gratitude.

The innkeeper was bewildered, but Jin Seong-un’s seriousness left no room for refusal.

So, dazedly nodding, the innkeeper returned to the kitchen.

At that moment, a group entered the inn. The innkeeper instinctively stiffened with caution.

Fortunately, they weren’t Black Path martial artists.

Realizing they were ordinary folk, he smiled faintly and led them to their seats.

Even as he did so, they kept talking amongst themselves.

“Hey, I heard Yang Cheon-deok is dead.”

“That’s not all. I heard Saryonggangbang itself has collapsed. Well, that’s the way of the Black Path. When the head dies, the rest crumble…”

“Wow, what on earth happened? If I’d known, I would’ve borrowed from Flame King Loans.”

“They were punished by heaven, that’s what. Weren’t their deeds utterly vicious?”

When the debtor disappeared, so did the debt. Yang Cheon-deok’s death would bring great joy to many.

Hearing the middle-aged men’s words, the innkeeper froze.

“But do you know who did it?”

“How would I know? Only those high up in Murim or the government would. Best be cautious, the atmosphere will be uneasy for a while.”

As their conversation continued—

The innkeeper’s head slowly turned.

At the end of his gaze sat two men, calmly devouring Yangha Daegu and Braised Pork Belly.

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