Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 49

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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 49. The Beginning of Revival (3)

 

That voice, filled with anger and disappointment, commanded as much attention as a shout infused with internal energy.

 

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the owner of the voice.

 

The large, bearded man was Yang Gu.

 

He was the owner of Hwawung Inn who had made a fuss about needing to feed our Young Master some nutritious food when Moyong Bi had finished off the Black Tiger Gang.

 

“Well, well, this is truly absurd. Are you people really warriors?”

 

Go Cheok’s temper flared.

 

“What?!”

 

“What kind of warrior doesn’t keep promises made with their own mouth? Aren’t Jianghu people supposed to live and die by honor?”

 

“You bastard! How dare you wag that wicked tongue of yours!”

 

Yang Gu openly displayed his displeasure.

 

“The wicked ones are you people.”

 

“What, what did you say?”

 

“Frankly speaking, you lot just acted like masters while boasting about being Ten Swords Gate, but what have you done for Wuhan? There are more than a few people who’ve suffered because of you.”

 

“Shut your mouth, you bastard!”

 

Yang Gu didn’t back down.

 

Perhaps influenced by crowd psychology, but it seemed he’d harbored complaints for a long time as he unleashed his bitter words without restraint.

 

“I suppose I can understand getting angry over business ethics issues. But canceling all the residents’ gatherings because your swordsmen wanted to vent, and when there are no good seats available, taking it out on innocent shop boys with sarcasm. What is this?”

 

Since these weren’t outright crimes, one could say they were trivial matters.

 

But from the perspective of people doing business in the marketplace, this was no joke. Frankly speaking, if you removed the Ten Swords Gate signboard, they wouldn’t be strange to be cursed as ill-tempered scoundrels.

 

Most importantly, Ten Swords Gate was strong.

 

A warrior who had learned internal energy was like a superhuman from a commoner’s perspective. Moreover, they even carried swords, so how overwhelming must that presence be.

 

“Is that all? A supplier I’d been dealing with for years suddenly said they’d cut off business, and when I looked into it, your business had snatched away all the good food ingredients at rock-bottom prices. Because of that, I became muscular from climbing mountains to hunt.”

 

“You…!”

 

“If you were going to torment the residents like that, you should have at least kept the streets clean. Then even if I was annoyed, I could console myself thinking you did it while working day and night for public safety. As Young Master Murong said, why did you leave the Black Tiger Gang alone?”

 

Killing intent flashed in Go Cheok’s eyes.

 

Several people flinched, but Yang Gu instead widened his eyes.

 

“Do my words sound like lies? Are Young Master Murong’s words also untrue? Then are we all conspiring with Young Master Murong to bring down Ten Swords Gate?!”

 

Though it wasn’t deliberately unleashed, it was still a Murim warrior’s killing intent. It was too much for an ordinary person to handle that killing intent.

 

Yet seeing him raise his voice instead, Yang Gu’s guts could be considered natural-born.

 

Moyong Bi whistled inwardly.

 

‘Nice guts?’

 

That level of courage and fighting spirit was rare even among Murim warriors. He thought that if he had learned martial arts from a young age, he might have become a master of the ages.

 

And that tremendous boldness soon made the crowd, who had been silent as clams, open their mouths.

 

“Innkeeper Yang is right!”

 

“Even so, you really went too far.”

 

“Are you people really from the Orthodox Faction? Didn’t you establish yourselves here just to extort money?!”

 

“How is Ten Swords Gate any different from the Black Tiger Gang!”

 

“Did you take money from the Black Tiger Gang? Explain that first!”

 

A single fire ember instantly spread into a wildfire.

 

All kinds of condemnation could be heard from all directions. Among them were people who even poured out curses too foul to repeat.

 

Go Cheok was extremely flustered.

 

‘This isn’t right?’

 

To him, the common citizens were nothing more than lower-class people who would crawl on their own if he just gave them a stern look.

 

But those lowly bastards were competing to condemn him, and he couldn’t handle it. The internal energy he had built up over the years, his swordsmanship skills, and even his position as Grand Elder of Ten Swords Gate were all useless.

 

‘This is terrible!’

 

The reason he had been anxious seeing the sect leader’s rough appearance was because he instinctively knew the importance of public sentiment.

 

But when he actually got angry, he forgot about public sentiment and just resorted to threats. Even he thought it was a foolish thing to do.

 

‘This can’t continue! It’s really getting dangerous!’

 

The moment Hwang Gyu made a fool of himself, public sentiment toward Ten Swords Gate had essentially hit rock bottom, but anyway, calming this madness was the priority right now.

 

“Wait! Everyone calm down for a moment!”

 

Wooooong!

 

Go Cheok’s voice, amplified by internal energy, poured oil on the already blazing anger of the crowd.

 

“Now that gentleman is trying to suppress us with his voice?!”

 

“Does having a loud voice mean everything? He looks ready to kill us all! Go ahead and kill us! Try killing us, you bastard!”

 

“I’ve known that son of a bitch since he was old enough to frequent gisaeng houses! He’s overflowing with energy, absolutely!”

 

“But why don’t you commit suicide?”

 

It seemed like flaming arrows were flying from every visible direction.

 

Go Cheok didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think of a way to quell this tremendous anger and criticism.

 

The White Dragon Squad was in the same situation.

 

Though not as much as the crowd, they too couldn’t help but be disappointed in the sect leader and Grand Elder’s words and actions. On top of that, they were receiving wholesale criticism, which made them angry, but they couldn’t even vent that anger.

 

It was truly a spectacle.

 

Watching the crowd raise their fists and even give obscene gestures toward those who could neither do this nor that, one realizes anew that the madness of the masses is on par with natural disasters.

 

“Whoa.”

 

Moyong Su Hyang clicked her tongue as she looked around the street that had become a sea of fire.

 

“It would be better to just die with a single sword strike…?”

 

Even though the criticism wasn’t directed at me, my whole body ached as if bruised.

 

I hadn’t understood the Chief Administrator and Guo Lao when they said their whole body ached and beat their backs, but now I felt like I could understand at least half of that feeling.

 

“By the way, isn’t this dangerous?”

 

“We should stop this soon.”

 

“What the hell!”

 

Startled, Moyong Su Hyang looked to the side.

 

Moyong Bi had somehow approached nearby. He was dragging Hwang Gyu by the hair, and the limp figure looked truly pitiful – when had he knocked him unconscious?

 

“You scared me. When did you get here?”

 

“Just now.”

 

“I didn’t even see you?”

 

“With a festival going on throughout the entire street, would I be visible? Everyone was completely distracted.”

 

Moyong Su Hyang felt awkward for no reason. Just as her elder brother said, she had been completely absorbed in watching Go Cheok getting beaten up by the crowd.

 

But that was only for a moment.

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

“It would be harder to get hurt beating down one idiot.”

 

“You’re the idiot.”

 

“I ‘was’ an idiot.”

 

“Not anymore?”

 

“Whatever, think what you want. Since when did you ever listen to me anyway.”

 

There was a time when I would have believed you even if you said the sky was the ground.

 

Moyong Su Hyang didn’t bother to reveal her inner thoughts.

 

“What are you going to do? You’ll have to clean this up, won’t you?”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

Moyong Bi looked at Go Cheok.

 

Go Cheok’s face was almost rotten to the core. With a bit of exaggeration, it was the face of someone who wanted to bash his head into the ground and die.

 

Pitiful enough to make even an enemy feel sorry for him.

 

Moyong Bi opened his mouth.

 

“Please listen to what I have to say for a moment.”

 

Wooooooong!

 

Dense internal energy spread his low voice in all directions.

 

The crowd that had been hurling curses at Go Cheok closed their mouths.

 

When the intense noise that had been loud enough to shake the entire street disappeared, a terrifying silence raised its head.

 

Go Cheok, who had been looking around in a daze, felt fear for a moment.

 

‘Cr-crazy.’

 

The crowd that had been ready to tear someone apart just moments ago.

 

Their faces had become calm in the blink of an eye. Some looked at Moyong Bi with expectant faces, but most had no expression at all.

 

That was even more frightening and eerie.

 

The crowd that had been fierce enough to tear apart even demons from hell if they considered them enemies, showed the appearance of gentle sheep to those who weren’t enemies.

 

That chilling difference was as clear as summer and winter, and as vast as a ten-thousand-foot cliff.

 

“As you all witnessed, Ten Swords Sect Leader Hwang Gyu staked the survival of his sect on a duel with me.”

 

The crowd held their breath at the voice that rang out clearly.

 

Confusion appeared on Moyong Su Hyang’s face.

 

‘What the hell.’

 

Even I find myself concentrating on elder brother’s voice. And I’m surprised at myself for doing so.

 

It wasn’t a matter of internal energy being mixed in or having a good voice. Moyong Bi’s voice had a powerful force that made anyone unable to help but concentrate.

 

That was what presence meant.

 

Beyond innate temperament, only those who had led countless people could possess this – the vibrant experience built through rubbing shoulders with people creates such presence.

 

Not knowing this, Moyong Su Hyang could only be surprised at her elder brother’s appearance that changed with each moment.

 

“Honestly, I didn’t think those bastards would keep their promise. Would people who even brought out the Black Tiger Gang to extort money because they didn’t want to dirty their own hands keep a promise of Jianghu? Do they even know what honor means?”

 

Someone could be heard quietly saying, “That’s right.”

 

“But today, at least, they too must learn the weight of promises. The reason being, our Main Family almost fell because of them.”

 

Moyong Bi’s eyes changed again.

 

He hadn’t lost his composure, but the more he thought about it, the more heated he became.

 

“Since you tried to destroy a family, you should have been prepared to be destroyed yourselves. If you had at least apologized and said you were sorry, it might have been different, but I see no reason to spare those who drew their swords while acting like the victim.”

 

Of course, he was the one who had provoked them to draw their swords, but that wasn’t important right now.

 

Killing intent flickered in Moyong Bi’s eyes as he glared at Go Cheok.

 

“Grand Elder.”

 

Go Cheok flinched and unconsciously stepped back three paces.

 

Even though the distance was quite far, Moyong Bi’s murderous gaze was as intense as if he were glaring right in front of his face.

 

A terrifying look that reminded one of a mountain bandit king.

 

“Stop making pathetic excuses, and I’ll ask one last time. Will you commit suicide?”

 

“…!”

 

“If you commit suicide and show the weight of promises, I’ll consider the dissolution of Ten Swords Gate as never having happened.”

 

Go Cheok bit his lips.

 

The hand gripping his sword sheath trembled violently.

 

‘What should I do? What should I do?’

 

He says if I alone die, Ten Swords Gate will live.

 

He was being forced to make an unavoidable choice.

 

‘This is ridiculous. Even if I commit suicide, there’s no way that bastard will leave the main sect alone.’

 

Public opinion was completely shattered.

 

It wasn’t a matter of strength. Ten Swords Gate could never regain its former prosperity. Moreover, hadn’t even the sect leader ended up in such a state?

 

‘B-but…!’

 

The crowd was glaring at him.

 

They weren’t shouting like before. They were just watching to see what he would do, glaring with terrifying eyes, and it felt like thousands of daggers were piercing his entire body.

 

Go Cheok swallowed his saliva and opened his mouth.

 

“I am….”

 

“I suppose that’s too much to ask?”

 

“…?!”

 

“Then let’s just end it like this.”

 

Thud.

 

Moyong Bi kicked Hwang Gyu over onto his back and swung his fist without hesitation.

 

Thwack!

 

“Kuheoeoek!”

 

Hwang Gyu, who had been unconscious, opened his eyes wide and vomited blood.

 

He had taken a direct hit to his Qihai acupoint with a fist filled with Primordial True Energy.

 

Hissssss.

 

“Uaaaaaaah!”

 

With a scream, Hwang Gyu fainted again.

 

Dantian destruction. Not only had he permanently lost his internal energy, but the destroyed dantian had also caused severe internal injuries. On top of that, his wrist had been severed, so forget about recovery—his life was hanging by a thread.

 

Go Cheok’s mouth fell wide open.

 

This time, Moyong Bi laid Hwang Ji Hwa down next to Hwang Gyu.

 

“W-wait a moment!”

 

“Got something you’re curious about?”

 

A pitiful voice finally burst from Hwang Ji Hwa’s terror-stricken mouth.

 

“Please spare me! Please! I’ll never touch the Moyong Family again…!”

 

Thwack!

 

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

 

Hwang Ji Hwa’s dantian was destroyed in the same way, and she fainted while foaming at the mouth.

 

Moyong Bi spoke coldly.

 

“This is the price for not keeping your promise.”

 

“…”

 

“You’ll bear the responsibility for ruining these foolish father and daughter’s lives.”

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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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