Geomyeon and Tae Musang looked at what was happening in front of them with expressions of disbelief.
The person who had appeared out of nowhere and taken up the space behind the man was none other than Pyo-wol.
Pyo-wol was like a ghost.
No matter how fast the man spun, Pyo-wol did not fail to get on the man’s back. In the end, the man did not get to see a glimpse of Pyo-wol’s face until he was subdued by Pyo-wol.
Since the Geomyueon and Tae Musang were far from the man, they could clearly see his appearance. But even then, they couldn’t believe what they saw with their own eyes.
The sight was that unreal.
Even in a state of exhaustion, goosebumps ran all over their bodies.
‘How is that even possible?’
‘This is crazy—’
Tae Musang finally realized how reckless his attempt to threaten such a man was.
He could hardly believe Pyo-wol had let him live back then.
Pyo-wol appeared in front of the man who was kneeling.
For the first time, the man could see the face of the man who had rendered him powerless.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, Pyo-wol’s pure white face stood out like a sore thumb.
The man asked,
“Who are you? How dare you—”
Thunk!
At that moment, a phantom dagger struck the back of the man’s hand.
“GAAH!”
The man opened his eyes wide without finishing his sentence.
Pyo-wol met the man’s gaze and spoke,
“I’ll ask the questions, and you will answer. That’s the rule.”
“What nonsense—!”
Thunk!
At that moment, another phantom dagger struck the man’s thigh.
“KAAH!”
The man screamed once again, but his screams didn’t echo through the night sky.
Pyo-wol clamped the man’s mouth over his hand.
“What group do you belong to?”
“Hmph! As if I’ll tell you— keugh!”
The man groaned in pain again.
A phantom dagger was now lodged in his shoulders as well.
Pyo-wol found no need to unleash his recently discovered torture techniques. He, himself, was no stranger to pain, so he knew well just how to inflict the most pain on his opponent and shatter their spirit.
Pyo-wol asked again,
“What organization do you belong to?”
“I—”
Buuuk!
In an instant, Pyo-wol pushed the phantom dagger into the man’s thigh. The wound become even deeper and larger causing blood to gush out even more.
Seeing Pyo-wol ruthlessly tearing at the wound without blinking an eye, Tae Musang and Geomyeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
They had prided themselves on their brutality and ferocity, having been raised from the bottom, but witnessing Pyo-wol’s actions right now made them realize how far off they were from him.
The man instantly turned pale and weakened, on the verge of fainting.
An ordinary man would have succumbed and died from losing this amount of blood. But, Pyo-wol made sure to inflict just the right amount of wounds to keep the man barely alive.
It didn’t take long for the man’s mind to become hazy from losing so much blood.
Pyo-wol asked again.
“Which faction do you belong to?”
“P… Phantom Fleet.”
The man answered without realizing it.
“Phantom Fleet?”
“Yes.”
“What is your position in the Phantom Fleet?”
“That’s… gah!”
The man, who had been answering smoothly, suddenly snapped out of it and widened his eyes. He realized he had a momentary loss of consciousness.
Realizing his mistake, the man immediately bit his tongue hard.
Snap!
Blood gushed out like a fountain from his severed tongue.
The man died instantly.
Pyo-wol stared at the man’s lifeless body in silence.
He found it a pity that the man regained his senses earlier. Had it been a little while later then Pyo-wol would have obtained more information.
Pyo-wol’s gaze fell on Geomyeon and Tae Musang.
The two children both looked at him, unable to breathe.
After staring at them for a moment, Pyo-wol swung his hand.
Swish!
A faint sound of explosion erupted from their bodies. Pyo-wol used acupuncture on them from a distance away. The blood flowing from their bodies immediately stopped.
Only then did Geomyeon heave a sigh of relief.
The place where he suggested he and Tae Musang desperately fled together was the inn where he was working.
Recalling that there were skilled individuals like Pyo-wol and Tarha at the inn, the two children lured the man there.
While they had almost been caught and killed by the man near the inn, ultimately their gamble paid off.
Pyo-wol had sensed the commotion outside and thus appeared.
“Haaa!”
“Ugh!”
As the tension eased, excruciating pain washed over them.
Pyo-wol approached them.
“What happened?”
“Well…”
Tae Musang recounted everything that had happened at the harbor.
How their pursuer and his companions had sneaked into the harbor on a small fishing boat, and how they had tracked him down and killed his brothers.
Pyo-wol listened in silence to Tae Musang’s narration.
‘It seems like this child being chased by the Phantom Fleet was indeed only a coincidence. Since the martial artists of the Phantom Fleet entered this place secretly, they have no choice but to chase and kill the child who saw them to protect their secret…’
There was an unsettling scent lingering in the air.
From the masters of the West, Tarha and Yul Ayeon, to the emergence of an unknown group such as the Phantom Fleet.
Truly, an unpredictable chain of events was unfolding.
“You said there were twenty people in all, right?”
“That seemed to be about right.”
“So there are still nineteen more people remaining there.”
“That’s right.”
“What did they look like?”
“They were too far away, so I couldn’t see their faces.”
Tae Musang gritted his teeth and replied,
Because of them, three of his beloved siblings had died. They were all young children who hadn’t even had the chance to blossom.
Tae Musang felt great guilt for their deaths.
If he hadn’t fled to the children’s hiding place, the children wouldn’t have died.
Crunch!
He clenched his teeth.
He ground so hard that a fine powder of shattered teeth came out.
Pyo-wol looked at him and said,
“Hide with the children after disposing of the bodies.”
“I can’t do that, I can’t—”
Tae Musang jerked his head up and looked at Pyo-wol.
His eyes were completely bloodshot, swollen with red veins. His eyes looked as if blood was ready to spill out at any moment. Anyone who would see him now would definitely feel a sense of terror.
“I… I—!”
Geomyeon grabbed Tae Musang’s hand. But, Tae Musang didn’t calm down. He just looked Pyo-wol straight in the eyes.
“Revenge… I have to take revenge. I can’t just hide and live without seeking revenge for the children.”
“Do you have the ability?”
“That’s—!”
“Think about what’s more important– to protect the lives of the remaining children or your revenge? Which one is more significant?”
Tae Musang closed his mouth shut at Pyo-wol’s cold words.
He also knew rationally that the safety and well-being of the remaining children came first.
But he wasn’t always guided by reason.
“Still! I can’t helplessly retreat like this! If I retreat like this, who will console the unjust souls of those children? I don’t care if I die! I will definitely take revenge somehow!”
Tae Musang said as he coughed up blood.
Geomyeon tightened his grip on Tae Musang’s hands, but his friend’s anger didn’t subside.
“Please help me–!”
“Why should I?”
“Because you have the power.”
“Just because I have the power doesn’t mean I have to help.”
“I know that. To ask for a favor, I have to pay a price.”
Tae Musang knew well the law of exchange.
And he just knew what to say to get the other man’s help.
“I will give you my soul. I will become your dog until I die. I will do whatever you command me to. So please– please help me get my revenge.”
“I don’t need a dog.”
“I don’t have to be a dog. I can be your slave! So please, help me.”
Thud!
Tae Musang smashed his head against the ground.
His forehead burst, and blood flowed.
Still, Tae Musang did not move.
He was determined not to move until he heard Pyo-wol’s answer.
Pyo-wol stared at him for a moment, then spoke,
“Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
Finally, Tae Musang lifted his head and looked at Pyo-wol.
“Yes, a deal.”
* * *
Jin Yoo-gun had white-grayish hair from birth. He often became the target of ridicule when he was young because of this characteristic.
His peers would tease him by calling him grandpa or old man, and he would cry a lot because he was weak at heart.
But now, there was not a single person who would dare to say such things to him.
Of course, occasionally, there would be a few ignorant individuals who would mock him for his white hair, but they all ended up regretting it without exception.
He had only been taken advantage of when he was younger because he had been naive and helpless, but now that he was older, it was different.
He was no longer innocent or weak.
At the very least, there was no one he couldn’t kill if he set his mind to it.
Jin Yoo-gun sat in the courtyard of a small manor far from the harbor. He was surrounded by martial artists who had sailed with him.
Only when an hour had passed did Jin Yoo-gun make his move.
As he rose to his feet, he murmured,
“Hwa-pyung hasn’t returned yet. Something must have gone wrong.”
Hwa-pyung was the name of the man who had been sent to track down the audacious little brat who had been spying on them at the harbor.
Hwa-pyung was among the few men whom Jin Yoo-gun could trust and rely on. Hwa-pyung was so trustworthy that he never once failed to carry out Jin Yoo-gun’s orders.
But, the said man had not yet returned for nearly three hours.
This fact meant one of two things.
“He is either dead, or he’s immobilized.”
Either way, this was not good news for Jin Yoo-gun.
Jin Yoo-gun gave an order to the subordinate right beside him.
“There must be a trace left by Hwa-pyung. Track them. Find out everything you can about who was involved, and report back in detail.”
“You want a report?”
“If Hwa-pyung is truly dead, then you wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. So just report it, and I’ll deal with it.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate bowed his head and replied.
His name was Doyeop, a man who specialized in tracking and assassination.
He had the ability to escape from any situation, so Jin Yoo-gun had faith in his abilities.
Doyeop quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Jin Yoo-gun’s gaze turned to his other subordinates.
“What about him?”
“He is currently in the Sea Dragon Sect.”
“Are you sure?”
“When he escaped, a merchant ship belonging to the Sea Dragon Sect happened to pass nearby.”
“Is that enough to confirm that he is indeed in the Sea Dragon Sect?”
“When the Sea Dragon Sect’s merchant ships arrived at Haimen, I heard that Captain Lee Seong-hak and his companions were carrying a large box.”
“So?”
“It is said that Manager Bang Duyeol of the Red Bandana Association tried to record the item in the ledger, but was refused.”
“So you’re saying they couldn’t confirm what was inside?”
“That’s right. What’s more, is that the Sea Dragon Sect increased their surveillance multiple times right after the box was taken in. Given the circumstances, it is certain that the prisoner is inside the Sea Dragon Sect.”
“Hmm…”
Jin Yoo-gun’s eyes turned cold.
The Sea Dragon Sect was undoubtedly the leading sect in Haimen.
It wasn’t their military power that was feared, but rather their influence and connections, which spread like a spiderweb centered around Haimen.
One wrong move and they could be in trouble.
But it’s not as if they’re afraid of the trouble it would cause, it would just be annoying to deal with. That’s why Jin Yoo-gun had kept his distance from the Sea Dragon Sect, avoiding any involvement if possible.
But, he couldn’t do that anymore.
Someone important had just escaped from their grasp.
Even if the man had escaped alone, the Phantom Fleet would have still pursued him with all its might, but to think that he even managed to steal the valuable item that was carefully stored during their escape.
That item had to be recovered at all costs.
No matter what the price had to be paid.
That was the reason Jin Yoo-gun had come to Haimen.
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