Chapter 426

Chapter 426

“Right. So…”

Mang Ryo suddenly trailed off with a bitter expression.

“We’re not really the kind of relationship that can settle the past with just this much.”

After a moment of silence, Mang Ryo looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“But you know.”

“…”

“I didn’t wait for this day and time just to receive this kind of treatment.”

“…”

“Even if you already knew, couldn’t you have played along a bit more? Huh?”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang ask back.

“It doesn’t seem to be for my sake. For whose sake?”

Mang Ryo brought his face right up to Jin Ja-gang’s face, just like Master Haewol had done.

Their faces came so close that they could feel each other’s breathing vibrations.

They were almost nose to nose.

Jin Ja-gang neither backed away nor refused.

Mang Ryo fixed his single eye on Jin Ja-gang’s eyes and stared for a long time. Jin Ja-gang’s face and Mang Ryo’s eye were less than half a span apart.

Mang Ryo wore a fishy smile and brought his hand to the back of his head.

“Of course it’s for me.”

Swish, the eyepatch came undone.

The eye Jin Ja-gang had destroyed. A prosthetic eye embedded in the gaping space was revealed.

The reason why he wore an eyepatch when he could have a prosthetic eye quickly became clear. A cold metallic sound rang from inside the prosthetic eye.

CLICK.

“Since you’ve ruined my fun, I should at least enjoy some entertainment! Hand over your eyeball first!”

Instantly the prosthetic eye burst and poured out countless needles.

SWOOOOSH!

Even without poison, if you got hit by that many needles at close range, your eyes couldn’t stay intact. The needles would pierce through the eyeballs and embed all the way to the back of the head. Not only the pain, but the eyeballs would all burst and be crushed beyond any possibility of repair.

Like himself, Jin Ja-gang would become one-eyed too!

But Mang Ryo soon realized something was wrong.

THUD!

Suddenly his vision shook and his cheek went numb.

“Uh…?”

The ground appeared vertical.

His face was buried in the earth!

Moreover, Jin Ja-gang was stepping on Mang Ryo’s cheek and looking down at him from above.

Only then did he feel his limbs aching.

All dozens of needles fired from the prosthetic eye had missed completely and flown into the air.

Mang Ryo irritably swung his hand. Jin Ja-gang stepped back gracefully.

Mang Ryo jumped up. With flickering eyes full of killing intent, he smiled coldly.

“Ah, yes. Not for nothing are you Haewol’s successor, right? What did you receive from Haewol? Elixir? Martial arts?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“Heart.”

Mang Ryo shouted with an incredulous face.

“If we’re talking about what we received, I also received something from Haewol, so I’m the real successor of Haewol!”

Mang Ryo explosively drew up the energy of Red Shadow Pills. BANG! Vibrations rang from inside his body. The energy of Red Shadow Pills spread through his limbs and meridians. He even used Mad Blood Heaven Art. Both were techniques that fatally damaged the body.

Instantly his power surged several times over.

BOOM! A tremendous explosion occurred under Mang Ryo’s feet. Massive internal energy boiled up, emanating enormous pressure.

Simultaneously warm blood flowed from his nose.

His body had been broken for a long time. As Master Haewol had said, it was strange he hadn’t died yet. But even that was already reaching its limit.

Mang Ryo was already as good as dead.

Mang Ryo cackled.

“This will be different from just now. I’ll kill you with the power Haewol gave me!”

Flash, Mang Ryo flew at tremendous speed and struck at Jin Ja-gang’s chest.

BOOM!

“…?”

In the moment he thought his vision flickered briefly, Mang Ryo was once again lying with his cheek against the ground. This time he had crashed as hard as he had charged, completely breaking his cheekbone along with all the teeth on one side.

Blood streamed from his mouth and nose.

Mang Ryo shook his head and staggered as he got up.

“What, what is this…”

He had used the internal energy of both Red Shadow Pills and Mad Blood Heaven Art simultaneously but accomplished nothing?

Mang Ryo screamed and charged again.

“What is this!”

Mang Ryo raised his fingernails and tried to tear at Jin Ja-gang’s throat. Jin Ja-gang placed his palms together. Using pressure point techniques, he stretched out the back of his hands then twisted in the opposite direction to break the wrist, instantly crushing Mang Ryo’s strength.

Mang Ryo was shocked and stabbed at Jin Ja-gang’s eyes with his left hand. Jin Ja-gang neutralized Mang Ryo’s eye attack by simply lowering his head.

Mang Ryo immediately twisted his wrist and grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s hair.

It was over! Mang Ryo pressed down Jin Ja-gang’s head and kicked up with his prosthetic leg. The knee area of the prosthetic leg had a device installed, though not as sophisticated as the Tang family’s. The moment it struck the face, a dagger would spring out and pierce through Jin Ja-gang’s face.

Suddenly Jin Ja-gang pressed the rising prosthetic leg with his finger.

CRACK!

The prosthetic leg exploded as is.

Mang Ryo kicked up with his other prosthetic leg. But the kicking leg felt empty.

Nothing came along.

The prosthetic leg was cut. It was falling in several pieces. The part with the dagger device had fallen to the ground, so naturally no dagger came out either.

Mang Ryo felt creepy and looked down. Jin Ja-gang was glaring up at Mang Ryo with raised eyes.

The startled Mang Ryo gripped Jin Ja-gang’s hair tightly and twisted to subdue him. But his hands wouldn’t move.

WHIR!

Thin threads had wrapped around his shoulders and arms.

“When!”

WHOOSH! Mang Ryo’s body was lifted. Then he was thrown over Jin Ja-gang’s head and slammed into the ground.

CRASH.

Mang Ryo couldn’t budge. Both prosthetic legs had been cleanly cut off at some point, and his whole body was bound by thin threads.

Only his eyes could move freely. What on earth had just happened?

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t even used Asura Blood Poison. They hadn’t even properly exchanged moves. Yet he was tied up tight and couldn’t move at all.

“Grr. Re, release this! How, how could you…!”

Mang Ryo ground his teeth and glared at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes were very calm.

It was uncomfortable. Of course, even before, Jin Ja-gang had such annoying and defiant eyes that he wanted to gouge them out.

But now it was even worse than then.

If he had to describe it, it was as if Jin Ja-gang was looking at something that was nothing at all.

For Mang Ryo, that was the one thing he couldn’t stand.

“You must hate me, right? Inside you must be dying to tear me apart, right? Right?”

When Mang Ryo pressed him, only then did Jin Ja-gang reluctantly respond.

“Of course.”

Mang Ryo spat as he shouted at Jin Ja-gang’s face.

“Then why are you looking at me with those damn eyes!”

“Do I look that way?”

“Anyone can see it looks that way!”

Jin Ja-gang stared at Mang Ryo and spoke coldly.

“Whether I look that way to you or not, what do I care?”

Mang Ryo’s face twisted.

His way of speaking was exactly like the old Jin Ja-gang.

His personality hadn’t changed.

But his vessel had changed. The size of his vessel was different.

Even though he was tied up, Jin Ja-gang’s eyes showed no great emotional turbulence.

He wasn’t agitated.

Ordinary anger was visible, but that was all.

A master’s composure.

Jin Ja-gang had become a much greater master than he had thought.

“Hehe… hehehehe.”

Bound entirely by Asura Sutra, Mang Ryo laughed madly.

Then he mocked Jin Ja-gang.

“What are you? Come to think of it, before Haewol died he said that. That his successor was more vicious than himself. So he could die in peace?”

When the topic of Master Haewol’s death came up, Jin Ja-gang’s eyebrows twitched very slightly.

“So what did I do? I stabbed his belly with an iron skewer. Until his intestines came flowing out.”

Mang Ryo even grabbed his belly and giggled. Only then did he mockingly look at Jin Ja-gang, whose eyes had distorted and shown a change in expression.

“Haewol was wrong. He said you were vicious, but where did this Buddha come from, Buddha. Being so withdrawn, I wonder if you can even avenge Haewol!”

“Did Master Haewol ask for revenge?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Mang Ryo’s lips twisted.

“Your patience is amazing? You’re overflowing with mercy? You look like you’d grant it if I begged for my life?”

Jin Ja-gang cut him off immediately.

“No. That won’t do. You’re the enemy of Hundred Flowers Valley.”

Mang Ryo laughed mockingly.

“Oh my, is that so?”

Finally Jin Ja-gang harbored killing intent.

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“To my mother, grandfather, and all the disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley, I offer the head of this person, the last survivor of Yunnan Poison Sect. Please rest in peace.”

Mang Ryo got chills.

“What? What are you babbling, you dog!”

Mang Ryo’s eyes turned red as he screamed randomly.

“I still have things to say! Damn bastard! How dare you treat me like this?”

Mang Ryo spewed curses and insulted Jin Ja-gang.

“I’ll tear you into a thousand pieces! I’ll pluck out your eyes and throw them to the birds! I’ll grind your bones and pickle your intestines to make them into side dishes!”

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“Mang Ryo.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

“Die.”

Jin Ja-gang spoke coldly. Asura Sutra slowly tightened around Mang Ryo’s body. Blood lines appeared all over Mang Ryo’s body.

Then Sim Hak with his torn mouth shouted.

“St, stop! If Advisor Mang doesn’t return in time, the ships carrying salt will depart!”

Of course his words probably included the meaning that he too wouldn’t be able to return alive.

But Mang Ryo struggled even more.

“Go ahead and kill me! But you know what will happen after that, right? Everything you have will disappear because of your mistake. You’ll destroy what you’ve achieved with your own hands! Hehehe!”

Asura Sutra trembled as it was filled with internal energy to the maximum.

Sim Hak held his torn cheeks and sobbed as he shouted.

“Mang Ryo originally came here to die! Killing him is doing exactly what he wants!”

Sim Hak said tearfully and desperately.

“That man spent half a day grooming himself to come here. Then he even sent away the palanquin he rode. He came here to die by Hero Jin’s hands from the beginning!”

He came to die?

Hehehehe.

Now Mang Ryo no longer hid his true intentions. There was no need to.

“Because you’re quick-witted, I couldn’t see you kneel and beg, but that’s fine too. That fool’s words are right. I…”

Mang Ryo said.

“The day you took away everything I had. I decided. To make you the most miserable person in the world. But you had so little that there was no way to make you miserable. Even if I tortured you or cut off your limbs, I knew better than anyone that you wouldn’t even blink…”

Jin Ja-gang stared down at Mang Ryo.

“So?”

“So I raised you. I helped as a supporter so you could succeed. I helped you get revenge and become stronger in martial arts. So I waited for you to climb very high. Until you had many things.”

Mang Ryo’s single eye flickered.

“Now you have more than anyone. Well then, can you throw all that away and still kill me? Really? Can you kill me with your own hands and return to having nothing again?”

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“Right. So…”

Mang Ryo suddenly trailed off with a bitter expression.

“We’re not really the kind of relationship that can settle the past with just this much.”

After a moment of silence, Mang Ryo looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“But you know.”

“…”

“I didn’t wait for this day and time just to receive this kind of treatment.”

“…”

“Even if you already knew, couldn’t you have played along a bit more? Huh?”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang ask back.

“It doesn’t seem to be for my sake. For whose sake?”

Mang Ryo brought his face right up to Jin Ja-gang’s face, just like Master Haewol had done.

Their faces came so close that they could feel each other’s breathing vibrations.

They were almost nose to nose.

Jin Ja-gang neither backed away nor refused.

Mang Ryo fixed his single eye on Jin Ja-gang’s eyes and stared for a long time. Jin Ja-gang’s face and Mang Ryo’s eye were less than half a span apart.

Mang Ryo wore a fishy smile and brought his hand to the back of his head.

“Of course it’s for me.”

Swish, the eyepatch came undone.

The eye Jin Ja-gang had destroyed. A prosthetic eye embedded in the gaping space was revealed.

The reason why he wore an eyepatch when he could have a prosthetic eye quickly became clear. A cold metallic sound rang from inside the prosthetic eye.

CLICK.

“Since you’ve ruined my fun, I should at least enjoy some entertainment! Hand over your eyeball first!”

Instantly the prosthetic eye burst and poured out countless needles.

SWOOOOSH!

Even without poison, if you got hit by that many needles at close range, your eyes couldn’t stay intact. The needles would pierce through the eyeballs and embed all the way to the back of the head. Not only the pain, but the eyeballs would all burst and be crushed beyond any possibility of repair.

Like himself, Jin Ja-gang would become one-eyed too!

But Mang Ryo soon realized something was wrong.

THUD!

Suddenly his vision shook and his cheek went numb.

“Uh…?”

The ground appeared vertical.

His face was buried in the earth!

Moreover, Jin Ja-gang was stepping on Mang Ryo’s cheek and looking down at him from above.

Only then did he feel his limbs aching.

All dozens of needles fired from the prosthetic eye had missed completely and flown into the air.

Mang Ryo irritably swung his hand. Jin Ja-gang stepped back gracefully.

Mang Ryo jumped up. With flickering eyes full of killing intent, he smiled coldly.

“Ah, yes. Not for nothing are you Haewol’s successor, right? What did you receive from Haewol? Elixir? Martial arts?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“Heart.”

Mang Ryo shouted with an incredulous face.

“If we’re talking about what we received, I also received something from Haewol, so I’m the real successor of Haewol!”

Mang Ryo explosively drew up the energy of Red Shadow Pills. BANG! Vibrations rang from inside his body. The energy of Red Shadow Pills spread through his limbs and meridians. He even used Mad Blood Heaven Art. Both were techniques that fatally damaged the body.

Instantly his power surged several times over.

BOOM! A tremendous explosion occurred under Mang Ryo’s feet. Massive internal energy boiled up, emanating enormous pressure.

Simultaneously warm blood flowed from his nose.

His body had been broken for a long time. As Master Haewol had said, it was strange he hadn’t died yet. But even that was already reaching its limit.

Mang Ryo was already as good as dead.

Mang Ryo cackled.

“This will be different from just now. I’ll kill you with the power Haewol gave me!”

Flash, Mang Ryo flew at tremendous speed and struck at Jin Ja-gang’s chest.

BOOM!

“…?”

In the moment he thought his vision flickered briefly, Mang Ryo was once again lying with his cheek against the ground. This time he had crashed as hard as he had charged, completely breaking his cheekbone along with all the teeth on one side.

Blood streamed from his mouth and nose.

Mang Ryo shook his head and staggered as he got up.

“What, what is this…”

He had used the internal energy of both Red Shadow Pills and Mad Blood Heaven Art simultaneously but accomplished nothing?

Mang Ryo screamed and charged again.

“What is this!”

Mang Ryo raised his fingernails and tried to tear at Jin Ja-gang’s throat. Jin Ja-gang placed his palms together. Using pressure point techniques, he stretched out the back of his hands then twisted in the opposite direction to break the wrist, instantly crushing Mang Ryo’s strength.

Mang Ryo was shocked and stabbed at Jin Ja-gang’s eyes with his left hand. Jin Ja-gang neutralized Mang Ryo’s eye attack by simply lowering his head.

Mang Ryo immediately twisted his wrist and grabbed Jin Ja-gang’s hair.

It was over! Mang Ryo pressed down Jin Ja-gang’s head and kicked up with his prosthetic leg. The knee area of the prosthetic leg had a device installed, though not as sophisticated as the Tang family’s. The moment it struck the face, a dagger would spring out and pierce through Jin Ja-gang’s face.

Suddenly Jin Ja-gang pressed the rising prosthetic leg with his finger.

CRACK!

The prosthetic leg exploded as is.

Mang Ryo kicked up with his other prosthetic leg. But the kicking leg felt empty.

Nothing came along.

The prosthetic leg was cut. It was falling in several pieces. The part with the dagger device had fallen to the ground, so naturally no dagger came out either.

Mang Ryo felt creepy and looked down. Jin Ja-gang was glaring up at Mang Ryo with raised eyes.

The startled Mang Ryo gripped Jin Ja-gang’s hair tightly and twisted to subdue him. But his hands wouldn’t move.

WHIR!

Thin threads had wrapped around his shoulders and arms.

“When!”

WHOOSH! Mang Ryo’s body was lifted. Then he was thrown over Jin Ja-gang’s head and slammed into the ground.

CRASH.

Mang Ryo couldn’t budge. Both prosthetic legs had been cleanly cut off at some point, and his whole body was bound by thin threads.

Only his eyes could move freely. What on earth had just happened?

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t even used Asura Blood Poison. They hadn’t even properly exchanged moves. Yet he was tied up tight and couldn’t move at all.

“Grr. Re, release this! How, how could you…!”

Mang Ryo ground his teeth and glared at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes were very calm.

It was uncomfortable. Of course, even before, Jin Ja-gang had such annoying and defiant eyes that he wanted to gouge them out.

But now it was even worse than then.

If he had to describe it, it was as if Jin Ja-gang was looking at something that was nothing at all.

For Mang Ryo, that was the one thing he couldn’t stand.

“You must hate me, right? Inside you must be dying to tear me apart, right? Right?”

When Mang Ryo pressed him, only then did Jin Ja-gang reluctantly respond.

“Of course.”

Mang Ryo spat as he shouted at Jin Ja-gang’s face.

“Then why are you looking at me with those damn eyes!”

“Do I look that way?”

“Anyone can see it looks that way!”

Jin Ja-gang stared at Mang Ryo and spoke coldly.

“Whether I look that way to you or not, what do I care?”

Mang Ryo’s face twisted.

His way of speaking was exactly like the old Jin Ja-gang.

His personality hadn’t changed.

But his vessel had changed. The size of his vessel was different.

Even though he was tied up, Jin Ja-gang’s eyes showed no great emotional turbulence.

He wasn’t agitated.

Ordinary anger was visible, but that was all.

A master’s composure.

Jin Ja-gang had become a much greater master than he had thought.

“Hehe… hehehehe.”

Bound entirely by Asura Sutra, Mang Ryo laughed madly.

Then he mocked Jin Ja-gang.

“What are you? Come to think of it, before Haewol died he said that. That his successor was more vicious than himself. So he could die in peace?”

When the topic of Master Haewol’s death came up, Jin Ja-gang’s eyebrows twitched very slightly.

“So what did I do? I stabbed his belly with an iron skewer. Until his intestines came flowing out.”

Mang Ryo even grabbed his belly and giggled. Only then did he mockingly look at Jin Ja-gang, whose eyes had distorted and shown a change in expression.

“Haewol was wrong. He said you were vicious, but where did this Buddha come from, Buddha. Being so withdrawn, I wonder if you can even avenge Haewol!”

“Did Master Haewol ask for revenge?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Mang Ryo’s lips twisted.

“Your patience is amazing? You’re overflowing with mercy? You look like you’d grant it if I begged for my life?”

Jin Ja-gang cut him off immediately.

“No. That won’t do. You’re the enemy of Hundred Flowers Valley.”

Mang Ryo laughed mockingly.

“Oh my, is that so?”

Finally Jin Ja-gang harbored killing intent.

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“To my mother, grandfather, and all the disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley, I offer the head of this person, the last survivor of Yunnan Poison Sect. Please rest in peace.”

Mang Ryo got chills.

“What? What are you babbling, you dog!”

Mang Ryo’s eyes turned red as he screamed randomly.

“I still have things to say! Damn bastard! How dare you treat me like this?”

Mang Ryo spewed curses and insulted Jin Ja-gang.

“I’ll tear you into a thousand pieces! I’ll pluck out your eyes and throw them to the birds! I’ll grind your bones and pickle your intestines to make them into side dishes!”

Jin Ja-gang said quietly.

“Mang Ryo.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

“Die.”

Jin Ja-gang spoke coldly. Asura Sutra slowly tightened around Mang Ryo’s body. Blood lines appeared all over Mang Ryo’s body.

Then Sim Hak with his torn mouth shouted.

“St, stop! If Advisor Mang doesn’t return in time, the ships carrying salt will depart!”

Of course his words probably included the meaning that he too wouldn’t be able to return alive.

But Mang Ryo struggled even more.

“Go ahead and kill me! But you know what will happen after that, right? Everything you have will disappear because of your mistake. You’ll destroy what you’ve achieved with your own hands! Hehehe!”

Asura Sutra trembled as it was filled with internal energy to the maximum.

Sim Hak held his torn cheeks and sobbed as he shouted.

“Mang Ryo originally came here to die! Killing him is doing exactly what he wants!”

Sim Hak said tearfully and desperately.

“That man spent half a day grooming himself to come here. Then he even sent away the palanquin he rode. He came here to die by Hero Jin’s hands from the beginning!”

He came to die?

Hehehehe.

Now Mang Ryo no longer hid his true intentions. There was no need to.

“Because you’re quick-witted, I couldn’t see you kneel and beg, but that’s fine too. That fool’s words are right. I…”

Mang Ryo said.

“The day you took away everything I had. I decided. To make you the most miserable person in the world. But you had so little that there was no way to make you miserable. Even if I tortured you or cut off your limbs, I knew better than anyone that you wouldn’t even blink…”

Jin Ja-gang stared down at Mang Ryo.

“So?”

“So I raised you. I helped as a supporter so you could succeed. I helped you get revenge and become stronger in martial arts. So I waited for you to climb very high. Until you had many things.”

Mang Ryo’s single eye flickered.

“Now you have more than anyone. Well then, can you throw all that away and still kill me? Really? Can you kill me with your own hands and return to having nothing again?”

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