Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 60

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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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#060

 

The Hwangbo Clan, one of the Five Great Clans of Gangho and called the greatest family in Shandong Province, was burning.

 

Those who had been hiding screamed and came running out, throwing the entire area into chaos.

 

“You know what our Lord has done, don’t you?”

 

Ja-gang-cheon and Song Ja-in were still within the Hwangbo Clan grounds.

 

They were watching the interior from the roof of a guest quarters that had not yet caught fire.

 

“I killed to avoid being killed. That’s all.”

 

“It was an excellent decision.”

 

Even as they conversed, they continuously surveyed their surroundings.

 

Many places were obscured by smoke, but Song Ja-in finally found the person she was looking for.

 

“There he is.”

 

A man emerged from the building where the Lord’s quarters were located. Since he was originally disfigured, it wasn’t difficult to identify who he was.

 

“Is that person the Subordinate?”

 

He was someone who had risen to the position of the Hwangbo Clan’s chief subordinate in his early fifties, and was also the very person who had proposed the current reckless business expansion.

 

He clutched an object wrapped in golden cloth to his chest and ran toward the back gate of the estate.

 

“I’ll go capture him.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon immediately jumped down from the roof and without hesitation struck the pressure point on the back of his neck.

 

Thud!

 

Ja-gang-cheon slung the fallen man over his shoulder and immediately escaped from the estate.

 

***

 

When the Subordinate opened his eyes again, it was late at night.

 

The first thing he felt was the uneven ground beneath him.

 

Belatedly realizing he was lying in a forest, he hurriedly raised his upper body.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

But before he could grasp the situation, a face appeared.

 

“I’m Ja-gang-cheon. I’m the one who attacked the Hwangbo Clan and set it on fire.”

 

There was a reason why Ja-gang-cheon was being so kindly explanatory.

 

“I’m letting you know that I can do anything. I don’t like doing this, but I won’t hesitate either.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon refused Song Ja-in’s offer to do it and personally grabbed the Subordinate’s shoulder.

 

Crack!

 

He first crushed the shoulder and his fingers dug into the muscle.

 

The Subordinate writhed and screamed from the tremendous pain.

 

When he finally foamed at the mouth and fainted, Ja-gang-cheon pressed a pressure point to wake him up again.

 

“What, what do you want?”

 

“The ledgers of the sects and businesses you forcibly absorbed, and the spoils you took as trophies.”

 

“Those are inside the estate. They must have burned by now.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon looked to the side.

 

He could see the golden cloth bundle the man had clutched while escaping.

 

Inside were a wooden box containing five elixirs and three books.

 

The Subordinate, who had also turned his gaze, quickly said,

 

“I had no choice but to grab only that because there was no time. The ledgers you mentioned have already been lost… Argh!”

 

Ja-gang-cheon grabbed his shoulder again.

 

“Where were they originally?”

 

“In a warehouse inside the estate…”

 

“Which warehouse?”

 

The Subordinate’s pupils briefly moved rapidly left and right.

 

“Whatever you say will be a lie anyway.”

 

“Ugh!”

 

“The fact that you didn’t answer immediately and had to think means you’re making up a lie, right?”

 

Then, Song Ja-in, who had been watching from behind, added a comment.

 

“The fact that he tried to hide it means he judged that it survived and remains intact.”

 

“Could it be outside the estate?”

 

“Even if not necessarily outside, there are plenty of places that could escape the flames. A basement is a prime example.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon inwardly felt fortunate to have come with Song Ja-in, as his own knowledge lacked such things.

 

“This is your last chance. I could just kill you and search inside the estate. Continuing this interrogation seems like a waste of time.”

 

The Subordinate trembled with fear but ultimately didn’t give the desired answer.

 

“You’re going to kill me anyway, aren’t you?”

 

“How you die will be different.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon channeled his inner energy into the exposed shoulder muscle. The Subordinate couldn’t even lose consciousness from the pain of having his insides completely torn apart.

 

And cruelly, Ja-gang-cheon maintained that pain just short of death.

 

“The, the basement of Manwung-jeon…”

 

Manwung-jeon, where the training rooms of the estate’s key figures were located.

 

Crack!

 

Ja-gang-cheon broke his neck and stood up.

 

***

 

Unlike other buildings, Manwung-jeon still had stone pillars remaining.

 

With all the wooden walls burned away, it looked bizarre like a giant’s skeleton, but it was one of the few buildings that retained its form.

 

Ja-gang-cheon closed his eyes in the center of Manwung-jeon, where heat still lingered.

 

“Aunt, could you create some wind?”

 

Song Ja-in understood his intention and created wind that swept across the floor.

 

Though the wind was mixed with poisonous fragrance, it had no effect on Ja-gang-cheon, who had been steadily taking the Ten Thousand Poison Divine Elixir to build resistance.

 

“There’s no need to search for it.”

 

Without even needing to feel the flow of wind, when they swept away the ashes on the floor, a spot with strange lines appeared.

 

Flames had penetrated through small gaps, leaving deep scorch marks. Since only that area had narrow passages and stone walls to begin with, it wasn’t difficult to discover.

 

Now that the surrounding walls had all collapsed it was easily revealed, but judging from the shape of the pillars and walls, it seemed like a hidden location.

 

When Ja-gang-cheon entered between the stone walls and pulled a ring in a small hole, the stone floor was pulled up intact.

 

There was a ladder in a space large enough for one person to enter, making it not difficult to go down.

 

“I’ll go down and check.”

 

Since someone needed to keep watch, Ja-gang-cheon went down.

 

The basement was arranged like a study, with a desk in the center being the first thing visible.

 

Sitting at the desk, there was a bookshelf filled with about twenty volumes on the right, and a display case for placing objects on the left.

 

The display case, which looked like it exhibited trophies, caught Ja-gang-cheon’s eye.

 

Among them was an object that captured all his attention, one he had already heard described.

 

-Ak Bi’s Spear.

 

It was the sacred treasure of Jangpung Pyohyeon and the sacred object that Ak-pung-jin had vowed to find before his death.

 

Besides that, he could see various items of different values that had symbolized different groups.

 

From single-sheet documents to stone statues, secret manuals, and even color-changing crystals.

 

“Hmm. This one just seems to look nice.”

 

Strangely, Ja-gang-cheon could immediately assess the value of the displayed items at a glance.

 

While he couldn’t distinguish their history or meaning, the inherent value of objects was something visible through experience.

 

“About three of them?”

 

Ak Bi’s Spear was certainly worthy of being called a sacred treasure, and a jade ring that would fit on a thumb caught his eye. Finally, he saw a hairpin suitable for women to wear – crude in appearance but somehow possessing a power to draw attention.

 

“These are real treasures though.”

 

He held the hairpin in his hand, but there was no special change. Even when he channeled his inner energy into it, the result was the same.

 

“There must be something to it.”

 

As he became interested and tried to examine it, Song Ja-in’s voice was heard.

 

“Lord. This doesn’t seem like a good time for sightseeing.”

 

“Ah!”

 

The structure was simple, so Song Ja-in had been watching from above.

 

“I got distracted after seeing a new toy.”

 

“Take it with you for now and examine it to your heart’s content.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon wrapped the book in a cloth he had brought beforehand and threw it upward.

 

Then he took off his outer garment and gathered the items.

 

“People will come flocking here soon.”

 

They simply couldn’t act easily after seeing the poison master, but there were quite a few people watching the clan.

 

“All done.”

 

Having stolen the most sensitive materials, they left the clan without regret.

 

***

 

-Hwangbo Sega Chongwan is someone who records everything. He’s famous for bringing up even casually mentioned words to use in negotiations. The evil deeds of the Hwangbo Clan must surely be recorded as well.

 

These were Ak-pung-jin’s words.

 

This was the reason Ja-gang-cheon had specifically captured the chief administrator to find the materials.

 

Cheon-gu, who had planned all of this, said those ledgers were absolutely necessary, and the reason was simple.

 

-With our power alone, we can never completely bring down the Hwangbo Clan. You and aunt could kill hundreds of people with your strength. But would that bring down the Hwangbo Clan? Absolutely not.

 

Cheon-gu was certain that ‘this fight cannot be won through force.’

 

-We’d have to face all the power and influence of Shandong Province. Not only that, but the descendants and acquaintances of the Hwangbo Clan spread nationwide would become our enemies. You and aunt are the finest swords in Gangho, but in the end, you cannot cut down all the endlessly surging waves.

 

That was the strength that had allowed massive organizations to endure through the ages. But it wasn’t without solutions.

 

-We must clearly show our power and reveal their true nature. Those with deep connections should hide in shame, and those who cooperated should sever their ties. Once the organization becomes diminished like that, we can bring down the Hwangbo Clan.

 

This was the final goal Cheon-gu had set when creating this plan.

 

-For that, we need evidence and testimony. And victims who will reclaim what belongs to the Hwangbo Clan are essential. Those victims will take compensation on top of what they lost, and eventually divide up everything the Hwangbo Clan has.

 

Those pieces of evidence were handed over to Hao-mun by Ja-gang-cheon.

 

Miho, who appeared with three Ha-o-mun-do, knew about what had happened today.

 

“You really found this.”

 

Even Miho, who usually showed no emotion, couldn’t help but be surprised about this matter.

 

She had received word to come to Jinan, but never imagined they would pull off something like this.

 

Not only had they reduced the Hwangbo Clan’s main house to ashes, but they had even found the secret diary and ledgers that the chief administrator had hidden away.

 

“Wait.”

 

Miho, who was about to examine the evidence, stopped her actions at Song Ja-in’s words.

 

“The one on top is the chief administrator’s first diary. Read it here and hand it over to me.”

 

“Does this mean I cannot take this one?”

 

“If you do as promised, I will hand this over as well.”

 

The first diary was crucial evidence showing who had written all these materials.

 

This single volume carried weight similar to the vast amount of materials Hao-mun would take.

 

‘She’s been through all kinds of trials, so she’s no ordinary person.’

 

Miho didn’t insist.

 

“I will do so.”

 

As the subordinates began gathering the items on their own, Ja-gang-cheon casually picked up one thing.

 

“I’ll keep this one.”

 

It was the jade hairpin he had been interested in from the beginning.

 

Miho didn’t interfere much with this either. However, she needed to secure one promise.

 

“I must report that the Lord has taken it.”

 

“Do that. I’m just going to examine it briefly. I’ll hand it over when the owner appears.”

 

“Understood.”

 

After the Ha-o-mun-do gathered the items and left, Miho, left alone, conveyed one piece of news.

 

“Baeui-geom of the Wudang Sect visited Deungmyeong Manor. It was right before the Hwangbo Clan elite were about to attack.”

 

“Who did you say?”

 

“Don’t you know the title Jinmyeong?”

 

There was no way he wouldn’t know.

 

It was simply a name he had forgotten.

 

“According to him, he visited to mediate the fight between the Hwangbo Clan and Deungmyeong Manor. He actually took Deungmyeong Manor’s side in front of the Hwangbo Clan elite.”

 

“Where is Master Jinmyeong now?”

 

“The last I heard, he said he would stay in Jiao-nan. He said he would monitor the Hwangbo Clan elite alone.”

 

It was questionable whether that could be called monitoring. In any case, it was clear he was taking reckless action.

 

“He said he was like a blood brother to the Lord – wasn’t that true?”

 

For the first time, Ja-gang-cheon felt speechless.

 

‘Blood brothers…’

 

It wasn’t wrong. But it wasn’t right either.

 

Ja-gang-cheon was truly disappointed in the Wudang Sect, and his sense of disillusionment with them remained even now.

 

So did he dislike Jinmyeong?

 

‘I don’t dislike him. He’s a good person.’

 

When it came down to it, he was the only person among outside forces who took his side.

 

“Did only Brother Jinmyeong come? No one else?”

 

“From what I heard, he came alone. And he said his mediation was not the will of the entire Wudang Sect.”

 

The meaning of those words was clear.

 

‘The others opposed it, but he came alone.’

 

Along with another wave of disappointment, he felt a deep resonance regarding Jinmyeong’s sincerity.

 

It overlapped with words his father always used to say.

 

-Conviction is unwavering determination that doesn’t shake under any environment or situation. Those who practice it are called chivalrous warriors, and those who maintain it for life are called gentlemen.

 

Father had a very resolute expression when saying those words. And he had subtly boasted that the Wudang Sect was such a place.

 

‘There was at least one chivalrous warrior that Father spoke of.’

 

It felt like one person was melting away his disappointment with the entire Wudang Sect.

 

“Take this.”

 

Ja-gang-cheon handed the jade hairpin he had set aside to Miho.

 

In his own way, this was a very significant concession.

 

“Please convey word to Brother Jinmyeong. Tell him if he waits a little in Jiao-nan, he’ll get to meet me.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Miho gathered up the jade hairpin in bewilderment.

 

“Oh right.”

 

“Do you have more to convey?”

 

“Tell Sister Yeon-hee not to mess with him. He’s an innocent person.”

 

“Our Dan-ju is not that kind of person.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

This time it was Miho who was left speechless.

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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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