Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 29
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 29. The Family’s Secret Place (4)
“Cough, cough!”
Jong Hweon, who had coughed up blood, shook his head and stood up.
“Huh? Are you awake?”
“Are you okay?”
Jong Hweon didn’t answer his fellow swordsmen’s questions.
He was rubbing his chest while breathing heavily, and it seemed he was still in considerable pain.
Someone offered words of comfort.
“They say you’ll recover quickly, but just in case, you should stop by the Medical Hall.”
“….”
“And well, don’t worry too much about winning or losing. You just had bad luck.”
Jong Hweon, who had been staring blankly at his fellow swordsman, sighed again.
The fellow swordsman, feeling awkward for no reason, cleared his throat.
‘That’s understandable.’
Honestly, if I had been beaten by that troublemaker, drunkard, scrawny Young Master, I would have been severely shocked too. And it wasn’t even with a real sword.
Then, Gwan Hyeon spoke.
“This guy needs to rest, so everyone get out.”
“Ah, yes.”
After sending all the squad members out, Gwan Hyeon asked Jong Hweon.
“You’re not okay, are you?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
“Not your body.”
“….”
“How does it feel to be beaten so one-sidedly?”
Confusion appeared on Jong Hweon’s face.
“Elder Brother Gwan.”
“Speak.”
“Did you see it, Elder Brother?”
It was a sudden question, but Gwan Hyeon understood perfectly.
“Yes, I saw it.”
“Then what exactly have we been doing all this time….”
“You know you didn’t lose because of luck, right?”
“….”
“You understand that, so why are you doubting the teachings you’ve received so far? Don’t tell me you think the Squad Leader and I have been teaching you half-heartedly?”
Jong Hweon bit his lips.
“You know it too, don’t you? Your own problems.”
That’s right. He knew it well.
Honestly, it would be difficult not to know. They say everyone is at a similar level, but among them, his talent was the worst.
“Still, at our level, we can handle a group of back alley thugs alone. We should be able to deal with two or three elite guys from the Black Tiger Gang, right? As long as we don’t get scared.”
“….”
“Think about before you entered the Main Family House. Isn’t this tremendous progress?”
That’s right.
At least after joining the Moyong Family, he had trained with the resolve to die. In those few years, an ordinary person whose skills were worse than a street thug could become this strong—it was all thanks to the Moyong Family’s teachings.
“Not just me, but you and the other Squad Members haven’t made any progress beyond this. The Squad Leader must have had quite a headache too. He probably worried day after day about how to teach talentless bastards like us.”
“….”
“To put it bluntly, if we had talent, we might have left the Family Clan long ago.”
It was a truth painful enough to chill one’s bones.
Until just a few years ago, the Fire Sword Group’s numbers had approached nearly thirty people. When they first established themselves in Hubei, he heard there were other military organizations besides the Fire Sword Group.
But now only ten Swordsmen remained.
What was the reason?
“We really… don’t have even a speck of talent.”
Other organizations wouldn’t accept them.
Of course, the debt they owed to the Moyong Family was so great that they never even considered betrayal, but if they had sufficient talent, they would have fought against such temptations until now.
That was the reality of the Moyong Family and the Fire Sword Group.
“Why are you suddenly despairing?”
“Elder Brother.”
“Your despair lies in your own attitude of not making proper effort.”
Jong Hweon jerked his head up.
“I really worked hard! How difficult the Fire Sword Group training is…!”
“You had the least talent, but your stamina is the best among the Squad Members. Maybe even better than mine.”
“…?”
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know that I swing my sword until midnight after finishing daily training?”
You have better stamina than me, so why don’t you do as much as I do?
Jong Hweon’s face flushed red.
Gwan Hyeon sighed.
“I know it’s hard. I understand the feeling of not seeing a path forward. It’s not like you didn’t work hard either, so I don’t think you need to be criticized for this.”
“….”
“But when facing enemies in the future, do you want to die complaining that you worked hard, that it’s all because the Moyong Family didn’t teach you properly?”
Jong Hweon’s fists clenched with strength.
He had things he wanted to say, but he knew it would all be excuses in the end.
Gwan Hyeon spoke with a bitter smile.
“Do you think I work harder than you because I’m a senior?”
“….”
“The thing is, I don’t want to die unfairly in battles I could have won if I had tried harder each day, just blaming the environment. That’s why I train more than you.”
Jong Hweon felt ashamed.
He knew painfully well that if you lack talent, you should at least make an effort.
But at some point, he stopped making proper effort. Just because the Fire Sword Group training was difficult.
Grumbling about how a person can live earnestly every day—at least in this case—couldn’t be a proper excuse.
Murim Warriors live a life walking on a blade’s edge.
If he wasn’t going to give up and die, he had to desperately work hard. If he knew his talent was lacking, he had to struggle to get even one step ahead.
“You can envy others. You can despair, asking why you can only live in such circumstances.”
“….”
“So, will you continue living while only envying and despairing? Or will you desperately try to break through your limits?”
Jong Hweon couldn’t say anything.
Gwan Hyeon stood up from his seat.
“Though they don’t say it, the other squad members probably know too. That the result of this match was due to skill, not luck.”
“….”
“I saw a path forward in this match. I found what path I can take to become better than I am now.”
“What is it?”
“I won’t tell you. That’s my method, not your way.”
Gwan Hyeon turned around.
“Think about it. What you need to do first to become better than you are now.”
* * *
“Family Head Deputy.”
“You’ve come?”
Seok Woong’s face brightened.
Moyong Su Jeong’s complexion was truly clear. How long had it been since he’d seen such a healthy appearance?
“How is your body?”
“I feel like I could fly.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Her body hadn’t been this light in the past few years. She felt much more energetic than when she was receiving treatment at Myeongjin Hall.
“That’s fortunate. Really fortunate.”
“It’s thanks to Bi Ah.”
“Yes, Young Master has accomplished something great.”
“But what brings you here?”
Seok Woong’s face immediately became serious.
“Family Head Deputy, strange rumors are circulating in the marketplace right now.”
Moyong Su Jeong could guess what he was about to say.
“The Black Tiger Gang?”
“Ah, you already knew?”
“Yes. Bi Ah told me yesterday.”
Surprise appeared on Seok Woong’s face.
“Even though they’re from the Dark Path, the Black Tiger Gang is not a group to be taken lightly.”
Moyong Su Jeong knew this better than anyone.
Frankly speaking, even if they deployed all of the Moyong Family’s current forces, it would be difficult to guarantee victory against the Black Tiger Gang.
They shouldn’t be underestimated just because they came from the back alleys. They had turned ruffians into soldiers with the blood money squeezed from common people. Their power was by no means small.
“There are over fifty organization members stationed at their main headquarters alone. For any individual to completely destroy such an organization is no easy task.”
It’s easier said than done – unless you’re a considerable master, it would be impossible for anyone.
“Moreover… they say the Young Master even burned all the promissory notes and business contracts that the Black Tiger Gang possessed right in front of the crowd.”
“So I heard.”
“He accomplished something remarkable.”
Though he said that, Seok Woong felt confused.
‘Is this really possible?’
Fighting isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Though he didn’t know martial arts well, Seok Woong was someone who had spent more than half his life in a martial family.
So he knew. That simply having a high martial arts level or abundant internal energy doesn’t guarantee victory in battle.
Variables arise in any situation in the world, and among them, the variables in fighting are unimaginably numerous. To put it bluntly, isn’t it common in this world for first-rate masters to occasionally die from ambush attacks by third-rate fighters?
Not only did he single-handedly defeat all the Black Tiger Gang warriors, but he even killed the gang leader?
‘It would be impossible without overwhelming martial power.’
Seok Woong thought of Moyong Bi.
‘Young Master.’
Over the past two days, Moyong Bi had shown changes so dramatic that he could be called a completely different person.
Honestly, it would be believable to say he was possessed by another person’s soul. Moyong Bi’s transformation was that dramatic.
‘Just how long have you been hiding yourself?’
Upon hearing the news, he wanted to seek out Moyong Bi first, but he instinctively knew. That he wouldn’t get answers.
Seok Woong realized the reason now.
‘He had been hiding himself for far too long. He even deceived his family.’
Someone like that wouldn’t just say it wasn’t actually true and explain all the circumstances in detail.
Because there’s an order to everything.
The Moyong Bi he had watched since childhood was naturally cautious and kind, with his own sense of determination. He had certainly been that way until Moyong Su Jeong left the family.
‘There must have been a reason.’
Just then, Moyong Su Jeong took out a small bundle from beside her.
“Please look at this.”
“What is this?”
Moyong Su Jeong unwrapped the bundle herself.
Instantly, Seok Woong’s eyes widened.
“Th-this is?!”
“He said it’s money he directly extorted from the Black Tiger Gang Leader.”
“…Just how much is this?”
“When I counted it, it was 134,000 nyang.”
134,000 nyang.
Combined with the money previously extorted, it was a fortune close to 170,000 nyang.
Seok Woong, who had been staring blankly at the money certificate bundle, finally asked a question.
“Have you explained the circumstances to the Family Head Deputy?”
“What circumstances?”
“About his transformation.”
Moyong Su Jeong smiled and shook her head.
“I did not.”
“Don’t you want to know? What circumstances there were, why he’s been acting all this time.”
Not only did he destroy the Black Tiger Gang and extort an unimaginable amount of money, but he even burned the promissory notes and contracts in front of the crowd.
Could such a person really have lived craving alcohol and throwing tantrums?
‘That’s impossible!’
There was a ninety percent chance it was all an act. If all his past words and actions had truly come from the heart, he couldn’t have achieved such remarkable results.
“Not only bringing down the Black Tiger Gang, but burning all the documents in front of the crowd was decisive. Right now, Young Master’s name is constantly being talked about throughout the Wuhan streets.”
“I suppose so.”
“If it wasn’t intentional, then Young Master has a good nature, and if it was intentional, it means he’s been preparing many things all this time. At least, this kind of thing can’t be done on impulse.”
“I know.”
“But why didn’t you ask Young Master about his circumstances?”
Moyong Su Jeong looked intently at Seok Woong.
Was it because she had become healthy overnight? Seok Woong somehow felt that her eyes and expression had become much brighter.
“When the time comes, he’ll tell us on his own.”
“But…”
“I trust Bi Ah.”
That single word “trust” contained truly many meanings.
Seok Woong, who was about to speak, soon remained silent. He somehow seemed to understand Moyong Su Jeong’s heart.
‘Well.’
He had saved his sister even while consuming his own vital energy. He had destroyed the Black Tiger Gang, which was notorious as Wuhan’s greatest troublemaker, and eliminated the promissory notes and contracts.
What part of these actions was there to doubt? Regardless of the circumstances, Moyong Bi had accomplished something admirable as the eldest son of the Moyong Family.
“I see.”
Seok Woong finally regained his smile.
“There must be circumstances. I trust Young Master as well.”
That’s when it happened.
“Su… Elder Sister!”
Moyong Bi’s voice was heard from outside the door.
It was a voice filled with unmistakable excitement.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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