Chapter 585

Chapter 585 - Side Story 19

The Song Il Sect martial artist looked at Tang Gyeong with a strange expression.

"Young hero, why are you so excited? I simply spoke as things are."

"Even so, you shouldn't speak of the former Murim Alliance Leader that way."

"One can curse even the king when he's not around. What's wrong with cursing a flawed former alliance leader?"

"The fact that you can freely curse the former alliance leader is actually thanks to that very former alliance leader, isn't it? Because he established rules in the Murim Alliance that even a former alliance leader shouldn't personally give private disadvantages without proper justification. I heard during Unbreakable Heavenly Sword's time, you couldn't even freely curse the alliance leader."

Another martial artist chimed in from the side.

"Ah, rules can just be ignored. If the Poison Dragon doesn't follow them, who can say anything?"

"For over ten years, he hasn't interfered with jianghu affairs and has been following the rules himself."

The person who was actually cursed and suspected had pitifully become unemployed and was just sitting around carving Go stones. Tang Gyeong felt those words rise to his throat but held back.

"Oh my, the young friend doesn't know... The Poison Dragon, you see. He's very vicious. He's the poisonous type who dug through a cave with his bare hands for ten years to take revenge. And now you think you can know the Poison Dragon after just over ten years?"

Tang Gyeong felt his blood pressure rise again and continued to argue with the Song Il Sect martial artists.

"So even after ten years, not knowing is the same for you and me, so why do you judge as if you know everything?"

***

Jin Heon listened intently and smirked.

"His lack of worldly experience shows at times like this. What will you do? You're not going to stop him? You said we can't be discovered."

Tang Yu-jeong got worked up.

"Of course he should be angry when they curse Dad. Wouldn't it be strange if he wasn't?"

"If he can't even endure that much, that's why he couldn't come outside until now."

"He's not a stranger. He's your dad too."

Jin Heon crossed his arms leisurely for the first time in a while and spoke as if it was someone else's business.

"I've never acknowledged that man as my father."

"How great of you."

Tang Yu-jeong also became as uncomfortable as Tang Gyeong and stuck out her lips.

But then suddenly the words "South Sea Sword Sect" were heard. Jin Heon's ears perked up involuntarily.

The Song Il Sect martial artist said.

"Speaking truthfully, just look at the South Sea Sword Sect on Hainan Island. Look at the wretched state it's in, smashed to pieces and ruined for opposing the Poison Dragon... How could he do that to a perfectly fine sect? Is that what someone with right thinking does?"

The Song Il Sect martial artist mentioned the South Sea Sword Gate as an example.

Tang Gyeong answered.

"Well, they were the opposition faction, so it was unavoidable."

One of the bandits sided with the Song Il Sect and said while mixing in curses.

"Just because they're opposition, it's okay? There was a woman who used to chase after the Poison Dragon because she liked him. But the Poison Dragon just sucked out all the sweet juice and discarded her. Now she's become completely washed up, any day now... always just coughing. Is that woman opposition? As a person, no, at least as a man, you shouldn't do that."

"Who is that?"

"Would the young hero even know if I told you? The pride of South Sea Sword Sect, called Ice Phoenix... She used to be very beautiful, the greatest beauty of the South Seas..."

At that moment, Jin Heon's eyes rolled up. He tried to rush forward.

What stopped Jin Heon was Tang Yu-jeong's laughter.

"Pfft!"

Tang Yu-jeong was covering her mouth, but her eyes were clearly smiling. Jin Heon trembled and clenched his fists, holding back from rushing out.

Tang Gyeong and the Song Il Sect were still continuing their argument. With the bandits joining in, Tang Gyeong was fighting twenty to one. When he said one word, ten words flew back, it was pitiful.

Most of them strangely kept saying "the Poison Dragon, because of the Poison Dragon," endlessly repeating the same words without beginning or end.

Tang Yu-jeong covered her mouth to avoid laughing and tilted her head.

"What's this?"

Watching quietly from behind, she felt something was a bit strange.

"Why do those misters look so friendly? Heon, do you know about the Song Il Sect?"

"I don't know. And I told you not to call my name."

"You talked earlier like you knew."

"I mean I've heard the name, not that I know them."

"Hmm?"

The Song Il Sect martial artist's voice grew louder.

"This is going too far. Why has the young hero been defending the Poison Dragon from earlier?"

Tang Gyeong's voice also grew louder.

"Then why are all of you from Song Il Sect taking the bandits' side?"

"Are you saying our Song Il Sect sides with bandits? Oh my, if others heard that, it would be terrible. What do you take our orthodox righteous sect Song Il Sect for!"

"Bandits stealing money is okay, but you just don't like the Poison Dragon who lives frugally? He gave up power and handles all matters transparently without greed. Isn't it that you don't like how it's become a world where bribes and bribery don't work?"

"What does the young hero know!"

The Song Il Sect got angry.

"We are voicing the opinions of those living in this local community! If we say the Poison Dragon is a bad guy, then everyone agrees! Don't speak carelessly when you don't even know!"

"No, what don't I know! I know more about the Poison Dragon than you Song Il Sect folks!"

"What?"

"What did you say?"

The atmosphere became increasingly hostile.

But then Tang Gyeong perked up his ears.

Tang Yu-jeong, who had been watching Tang Gyeong closely because something seemed off, immediately noticed it.

It was the action of being startled when overhearing a telepathic message someone sent.

"Huh?"

As Tang Yu-jeong watched curiously, Tang Gyeong suddenly said as if deflated.

"Ah shit. What the hell. I got worked up for nothing."

Tang Gyeong grumbled and turned to look at Tang Yu-jeong and said.

"Sister! These people here are all in cahoots."

***

A plump merchant with a wealthy appearance was alone in a large warehouse.

"No need to hide like before. The world isn't like that anymore. No need. Rather, it's advantageous to be out in the sunlight."

A sinister voice spoke from the shadows.

"Gold Commander. Are you comparing me?"

"Of course not, Ghost Commander. I'm praising Authority Commander. The scheme he prepared over ten years is excellent."

"What are you suddenly talking about? I want to think about how to kill the Poison Dragon's children at this time."

"Because the system the Poison Dragon created became our soil and nurtured us. Isn't it amazing?"

The plump merchant, Gold Commander, continued.

"The Poison Dragon thoroughly changed the jianghu. Large sects couldn't oppress small sects, and he didn't recognize the use of serious force against opponents without legitimate justification."

"That's right."

"Thanks to that, we could establish ourselves in the jianghu very easily."

Gold Commander laughed long.

"During the Poison Dragon's time as alliance leader, in an era when small and medium sects were rampant under the Murim Alliance's protection, we also established numerous sects with the legacy Lord Wang left behind. We openly hung the nameplates of orthodox righteous sects, yet no one could say anything."

Ghost Commander giggled in the shadows.

"Ah yes, that's right. It was very easy. If there were guys playing territorial games, whether big or small, we just had to report them to the Murim Alliance."

"So it's understandable that the local sects would explode with complaints about the Murim Alliance and the Poison Dragon. Hehehe."

"Taking control of the Green Forest was also an excellent move. The Green Forest became our bloodstream and the newly created local sects became our hands and feet to move. Thus, we became grassroots over ten years and settled perfectly in the jianghu. If the Poison Dragon wants to catch us, like tearing off living flesh, he'll have no choice but to tear out all the small and medium sects he raised. He'll face tremendous resistance."

"Tearing off living flesh hurts. And it will bleed a lot too."

Gold Commander and Ghost Commander laughed merrily.

Gold Commander spread both arms wide and turned around.

Countless gold and silver treasures filled the warehouse.

"Either make the jianghu hell again, or hand it over to us obediently. Poison Dragon! Now we're coming to devour you!"

***

With Tang Yu-jeong stepping forward, Jin Heon was naturally revealed as well.

The Song Il Sect martial artists looked at Tang Yu-jeong, then at Jin Heon, then back at Tang Gyeong. They looked at Tang Gyeong, then at Tang Yu-jeong, then at Jin Heon. Their expressions became puzzling.

The three people strangely resembled each other.

'Hey. Are you sure? You're not framing innocent people, are you?'

Tang Yu-jeong asked Tang Gyeong telepathically.

Tang Gyeong told her the content of what telepathic message he heard.

'Ah shit, just stop the argument and send us off quickly! There are more masters behind you! That's what they said.'

Tang Yu-jeong sighed. The only masters skilled enough to send telepathy were Tiger Throat Sword and Merciless Twin Axes. Just from the tone, they clearly had undeniable familiarity.

"I thought something was strange."

The Song Il Sect martial artists came to their senses and vehemently objected.

"With what evidence do you say such things!"

"Our Song Il Sect, as successors of the orthodox righteous path, would never collude with bandits."

"You've carelessly slandered us, so we absolutely won't tolerate this!"

One Song Il Sect martial artist even bulged the veins in his neck while pointing at Tang Yu-jeong.

"In cahoots, what cahoots! Oh ho, you're the ones in cahoots. What scheme are you trying to frame us with!"

Tang Yu-jeong slightly dodged the finger so the Song Il Sect martial artist's finger ended up pointing at Jin Heon. Jin Heon felt very uncomfortable.

Tang Yu-jeong approached and said.

"We'll know if you colluded or not by checking."

Tang Yu-jeong glanced at the Merciless Twin Axes. The Merciless Twin Axes looked at Tang Yu-jeong innocently, smiling brightly as if wondering why she was looking at him.

Tang Yu-jeong nodded.

"Right. They're on the same side."

The bandits and Song Il Sect martial artists glared at the Merciless Twin Axes as if they'd kill him.

The Merciless Twin Axes was bewildered, then realized the reason and was shocked.

"I didn't say anything! Really!"

But already, the bandits and Song Il Sect resenting the Merciless Twin Axes revealed even more that they were on the same side.

Tiger Throat Sword stepped forward.

"We're meeting you for the first time, yet you're trying to frame us as being in cahoots with bandits, what benefit are you trying to gain! I can't overlook this, so I'll officially report to the Murim Alliance. Reveal your sect and names! You know well how stern the Murim Alliance's punishment is!"

When the Murim Alliance was mentioned, Tang Gyeong and Jin Heon both flinched simultaneously.

As sons of the former Murim Alliance Leader, they had an obsession about not doing anything that could harm Jin Ja-gang in any way. Tang Gyeong had been locked up for seventeen years for not being able to control his poison energy, and Jin Heon had lived hiding his origins.

But Tang Yu-jeong was different.

Tang Yu-jeong confidently asked Tiger Throat Sword.

"Excuse me. Mister, do you know me?"

"I don't know, but...!"

"Then how can you report me? When you don't even know who I am."

Flinch.

The Song Il Sect martial artists tensed.

"And it's always the guilty ones who talk about reporting and law-breaking."

At Tang Yu-jeong's words, the Song Il Sect martial artists protested.

"Then you're planning to massacre us to silence us!"

"Massacre what... If you colluded with bandits, just hand them over to the magistrate."

"Without evidence!"

At those words, Tang Yu-jeong looked at the Merciless Twin Axes.

The Merciless Twin Axes now looked like he was about to cry.

"No, what grudge does the heroine have against me to do this?"

Tang Yu-jeong went "Hee" and laughed.

The Merciless Twin Axes beat his chest and lamented.

"I'm so frustrated, really."