Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 59

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 59】

Chapter 59: Steel Fang

Footsteps echoed through the camp. Gu Eon glanced toward the entrance.
There was only one set of footsteps, yet two people were approaching.
Kwon Han-ul was carrying Noh Ho-min across his shoulders as he walked.
“I’ve brought him.”
Kwon Han-ul unceremoniously dumped Noh Ho-min before Gu Eon. For a moment, Gu Eon wondered if his eyes were deceiving him.
“How did you capture Noh Ho-min?”
“I ran until my bones ached and caught him.”
Kwon Han-ul spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Gu Eon was left speechless.
-So Kwon Han-ul has returned? What happened?
“What do you mean what happened? I brought him back.”
-Judging by that arrogant tone, it seems to be true.
The Chairman burst into laughter once more.
Gu Eon couldn’t help but be astonished. From what he knew, the Chairman wasn’t someone who laughed this frequently.
-So Kwon Han-ul won the wager?
“There’s still something left to verify.”
-Something left to verify?
“My condition was to make Noh Ho-min submit. Simply bringing him here isn’t enough.”
At those words, Kwon Han-ul’s expression grew irritated.
“So you refuse to acknowledge defeat.”
“You don’t understand. Men like this all harbor poison within. To control them, you must break them completely. Merely defeating them in combat isn’t sufficient.”
Kwon Han-ul studied Gu Eon’s face and understood.
Gu Eon wasn’t acting petulantly because he refused to admit defeat.
He genuinely believed what he was saying.
“Get up.”
Kwon Han-ul nudged Noh Ho-min awake with the tip of his boot. Noh Ho-min jolted awake in alarm.
“W-where… where am I? W-what… my jaw… my jaw is intact.”
“I had it treated just in case.”
Noh Ho-min slowly looked up at Kwon Han-ul. His face drained of color in an instant.
“Ugh, uuuaaaaahhhhh!”
“Quiet.”
“Ugh, ugh! Mmmph!”
Noh Ho-min frantically clamped his palms over his mouth. Only his eyes darted about nervously, gauging Kwon Han-ul’s mood.
“Kneel.”
Noh Ho-min hastily adjusted his posture. He looked utterly servile, like a slave.
“That settles it, doesn’t it?”
Kwon Han-ul turned to look at Gu Eon. Surprise bloomed across Gu Eon’s face.
“…You didn’t just subdue him—you’ve made him completely obedient. How did you manage that?”
It wasn’t by chance that Gu Eon had chosen Noh Ho-min. Noh Ho-min was a rare breed of stubborn criminal, which was precisely why Gu Eon had intended to invest special effort in his education.
To break such a man’s will in mere minutes was no small feat—even Gu Eon found it difficult.
“I just hit him a few times and he started listening.”
“Do you really think that makes sense?”
“More importantly, it’s your turn to keep your promise now.”
Kwon Han-ul’s words made Gu Eon pause. After a long sigh, he spoke.
“Fine, I’ll concede. You have the qualifications to take charge of Mei Hong. I and Gangtaedae will no longer concern ourselves with her.”
Gu Eon had admitted defeat. In that instant, a shriek erupted.
“Kyaaah!”
With a sharp cry, Mei Hong rushed forward and threw her arms around Kwon Han-ul’s neck, cheering wildly.
“I knew my instincts were right! I made the perfect choice following you, Kwon Han-ul!”
So delighted was she that Mei Hong shook him vigorously. My neck was beginning to ache terribly.
“Please, calm yourself.”
Recognizing the situation, Joo Ha-yeon grasped Mei Hong’s shoulders and pulled her away. Yet Mei Hong’s excitement showed no signs of subsiding.
“Sister! Did you see that?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“For someone who witnessed that, you’re awfully composed.”
“When you serve Kwon Han-ul, something like this hardly seems noteworthy.”
At those words, Mei Hong’s expression turned peculiar.
“Wow, you’re subtly bragging, aren’t you? How are us newcomers supposed to survive this?”
It was as Mei Hong spoke with a tone of grievance that Gu Eon addressed her.
“Mei Hong, don’t let your guard down. Gangtaedae is always watching you.”
His voice remained cold and cutting.
“If you ever bring harm to the clan, I will have you arrested immediately.”
-Gu Eon, could you spare me a moment to talk?
Gu Eon’s demeanor shifted entirely. He held the phone with respectful composure and replied.
“Right now, sir?”
-Yes, preferably somewhere quiet. I’d rather no one overhear this conversation.
“There are members of the Cheongsong Bae Family’s bloodline present here. It would be inappropriate to leave abruptly….”
-That’s fine. If possible, I’d like Ha-yeon to come along as well.
A brief question flickered across Joo Ha-yeon’s face. Being summoned together with Gu Eon was far from ordinary.
“Understood. The rest of you, secure the prisoner and prepare for departure.”
The Steel Fang Members bowed their heads slightly.
“Kwon Han-ul, I’ll return shortly.”
Joo Ha-yeon left with Gu Eon.
“Um… what should we do in the meantime?”
At Mei Hong’s question, Kwon Han-ul shrugged his shoulders.
“Let’s discuss our plans moving forward. I’ll need to take on a mission soon.”
“What kind of mission?”
“An escort mission, actually….”
It was while the two of us were conversing. I sensed a presence approaching.
A Steel Fang Member had drawn near.
“Kwon Han-ul, it’s an honor to meet you.”
His demeanor was respectful. There was no hostility in his tone.
“Actually, I’ve been wanting to speak with you. I didn’t expect such an opportunity to present itself. Perhaps today is my lucky day.”
Yet every fiber of my being bristled with unease. My instincts screamed a warning about this man.
The man smiled faintly.
“There’s no need to be cautious. Captain Gu Eon and the Heukcheon witch are right beside you. What could I possibly do? I have no such intentions anyway.”
Even hearing this, I couldn’t find reassurance.
The aura emanating from this man was far too immense.
A height slightly below average. Unkempt, shaggy hair. A gaunt, unremarkable frame.
Yet there was an oppressive presence about him—as if Mount Taishan itself had been compressed into human form.
How had I failed to recognize it until now? The sheer power this man possessed.
“Who are you?”
“You heard my name earlier, didn’t you? I’m Bae Cheol-min. Bae Cheol-min.”
I searched my memory.
This was the man who had retrieved Noh Ho-min from the iron prison on Gu Eon’s orders.
“I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I heard the rumors about you. I’m certain you felt the same way about me.”
“Me, and you?”
At my response, Bae Cheol-min’s expression grew disappointed.
“It’s disheartening when you play ignorant like this. Now that you’ve been acknowledged by the Chairman, our family means nothing to you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“…Surely you don’t mean to say you don’t know me?”
“I don’t.”
Taken aback, Bae Cheol-min fell silent—he who had been so talkative moments before.
“This can’t be right… If you don’t know about me, then you don’t know about the Cheongsong Bae Family or the Healthy Blood either?”
“Both are names I’m hearing for the first time….”
In that instant, my mind snapped to attention.
“Wait—what did you just say? Healthy Blood?”
At my words, Bae Cheol-min let out a bitter laugh.
“Unbelievable… The head of the Heukcheon clan is truly something else. You should at least know about us, even if others don’t.”
Frustrated, Bae Cheol-min ran his hands roughly through his hair.
Another comrade shouted toward Bae Cheol-min.
“Hey, Bae Cheol-min. Don’t do anything reckless! Captain Gu Eon’s orders—hurry up….”
“Shut your mouth.”
Bae Cheol-min uttered a single phrase, his gaze piercing the Steel Fang Member. The man fell silent immediately.
No—that wasn’t quite right. His entire body had gone rigid, frozen in place, unable to speak even if he wanted to.
“I’m busy right now. Don’t interfere.”
Despite uttering only a few words, a suffocating killing intent pressed down upon the surroundings.
“Ah, my apologies for the intrusion.”
Bae Cheol-min turned back to Kwon Han-ul. Kwon Han-ul stared at him with a hardened expression.
“Our Cheongsong Bae Family has long served the Hukcheon Estate. It was thanks to possessing healthy bloodlines.”
I hadn’t misheard. It was indeed healthy bloodlines.
“But decades ago, our entire family collapsed and fell into a state no different from slavery. At the hands of the Hukcheon Estate, no less.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
At Kwon Han-ul’s question, Bae Cheol-min simply laughed silently.
“Kwon Han-ul, how much do you know about your father?”
“Not much.”
Whenever I tried to learn about my father, Kwon Seon-woo and Joo Ha-yeon would clam up.
“I’ve only heard that I’m called a traitor because my father fled the family and mixed his blood with an outsider—my mother—to father me.”
“That’s not entirely wrong, but it’s not the complete truth either. Your father wasn’t exactly fleeing the family—he was driven out.”
“Driven out?”
“Yes, because he would have faced execution had he remained in the family.”
It felt as though my skull had been struck by a sledgehammer.
“…Execution? Why?”
“Why else? Because the patriarch of Heukcheon issued such an order.”
“So what was the charge?”
“I don’t know.”
Kwon Han-ul’s brow furrowed. Bae Cheol-min continued smiling.
“The patriarch of Heukcheon sentenced your father to death without even revealing the charges. Several people tried to learn the reason, but the patriarch refused to speak of it.”
Bae Cheol-min laughed as he continued.
“No one knew the reason. Not even your father himself. One day, he was suddenly bound and thrown into prison.”
“Without even properly disclosing the reason… the patriarch ordered your father’s execution?”
“Hahaha, Kwon Han-ul.”
Bae Cheol-min burst into laughter. His gaze was like that of someone looking at a pitiful child.
“Is that truly the kind of man the patriarch of Heukcheon is? You didn’t know this?”
Kwon Han-ul found himself at a loss for words.
“The patriarch of the Cheongsong Bae Family, unable to bear witnessing such injustice, rescued your father and sent him away. In exchange for… well, there’s no need to elaborate further from here.”
Bae Cheol-min regarded Kwon Han-ul quietly.
“Now you understand why I wanted to meet you.”
It made sense.
From birth, I was entangled with this man and the Cheongsong Bae Family.
“What do you want from me?”
“Want? That’s presumptuous. I simply wish for you to acknowledge it.”
Bae Cheol-min spoke in a subtle tone.
“That our Cheongsong Bae Family made efforts for your father’s sake.”
Without realizing it, Kwon Han-ul clenched his fists tightly.
“Is it because of the crimes your family committed that you ended up in Gangtaedae?”
“Heukcheon may be a wretched place, but we don’t throw people into Gangtaedae for ancient history.”
“Then what crime are you in Gangtaedae for?”
“Attempted assassination of the family head.”
Kwon Han-ul stared at Bae Cheol-min with a shocked expression. Bae Cheol-min spoke with a smile on his face.
“You’ve said far too much.”
The Steel Fang Members had long since bound Noh Ho-min’s limbs and thrown him into an iron cage.
Bae Cheol-min turned to walk toward the Steel Fang Members.
“There’s one more thing I’m curious about.”
Kwon Han-ul grabbed him. Bae Cheol-min turned around with a puzzled expression.
“How did you become so strong?”
Bae Cheol-min was so formidable that it was hard to believe he came from a fallen family.
It seemed even the average purebloods of Heukcheon wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
“It’s nothing special. I simply focused on my bloodline.”
“You reached that level with a Resilient Bloodline?”
It made no sense whatsoever. While the Resilient Bloodline possessed remarkable abilities, it wasn’t a bloodline suited for combat.
“The Resilient Bloodline is one that strengthens its owner in extreme circumstances.”
I know that.
The Resilient Bloodline makes its owner grow stronger as they overcome pain.
But how could anyone reach that level through that alone?
“So that’s how you became strong?”
“Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough.”
Bae Cheol-min spoke with that same smile still on his face.
“You simply have to live in hell every single day.”

* * *

“Chairman, is it alright to let that bastard run his mouth like this?”
Gu Eon asked as if he couldn’t comprehend the decision.
-It’s fine. It was something we couldn’t hide forever anyway.
“But Bae Cheol-min still despises Heukcheon. There’s no way he’d speak the truth.”
-What does the truth matter? Nothing changes even if we learn it. Isn’t that right, Ha-yeon?
Joo Ha-yeon lowered her head without a word.
Gu Eon’s expression remained displeased.
“I’m still concerned. Revealing this matter in such a manner… Wouldn’t there be a better way?”
-That boy isn’t a child. I have no intention of restraining him and explaining things step by step.
Kwon Seon-woo spoke with resolve.
-Gu Eon, you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not doing this to inform that boy of the facts. I want to see how he acts once he learns about his father—what he chooses to do.
Kwon Seon-woo’s interests remained singular, then and now.
What value does Kwon Han-ul possess? How can that value be verified?
The matter concerning Kwon Han-ul’s father was merely a tool to that end.
“Kwon Han-ul doesn’t seem particularly curious about his parents.”
Then, Joo Ha-yeon spoke up.
-Is that so? Then we won’t gain much from this.
“But I believe this approach is not right.”
-Are you reproaching me now?
“How could I ever presume to do such a thing?”
Joo Ha-yeon’s voice remained calm.
“I merely speak out of concern.”
Yet she did not stop speaking.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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