Chapter 1551
Which side would that be? (1)
“Ahhhh!”
A desperate scream rang out.
A merciless blade harshly slashed the back of a man embracing his wife, then thrust into the shoulder of the woman holding a child.
“Kill them!”
This horrific scene might have been beyond even the calculations of the one who orchestrated it. Such was the uncontrollable madness that overflowed.
The Evil Sects. They did not hesitate to covet what belonged to others, were not ashamed of unjust acts, and considered the possessions of the weak as rightfully theirs.
There was no particular reason for choosing the Evil Sect. Was there ever a method to pursue the righteous path in all circumstances?
The reason these people surrendered themselves to the name of “Evil” was because they didn’t try to control the desires that everyone has.
That’s why these incidents were so frequent.
They became members of the Evil Sects to avoid restraint.
But ironically, in recent years, they had to suppress themselves precisely because they were part of the Evil Sects.
This was due to Jang Ilso and his oppression.
The one who literally tore apart the Black Ghost that had absolutely dominated the region, and trampled the feared Gupailbang.
His terror reached even the Just Sects, but it was nothing compared to what those in the Evil Sects felt.
“Hahaha! Look at them run!”
To survive under Jang Ilso, they had to endure and stay hidden. They couldn’t even lay a finger on these weaklings, who could be crushed with a mere thought, as if they were flies.
The past few years have been like hell for those who used to easily plunder and trample on others while indulging in pleasure. The suppressed and vicious nature, now unchecked in Gangbuk, finally erupted.
“Aaaargh!”
Another one, with bloodshot eyes, shouted as he thrust his podao [박도(朴刀) – type of a Chinese weapon] into the back of a fleeing person.
“Here! There’s grain here.”
Some were raiding the village granary, while others grabbed wailing women by their hair and swung their swords. Watching all this, Jong Hyo [종효(宗效)] had a sinister smile on his lips.
The fire spreading everywhere was dazzling. It was like the glory of the past. No, perhaps it was even more splendid.
“…Senior, isn’t this too much?”
At that moment, a subordinate cautiously approached and asked. Jong Hyo tilted his head slightly, displeased.
This was something they used to do as often as eating, and now, just after a few years of restraint, they were becoming soft?
“Even though we’ve come quite a ways up from Yangtze, this is still Hubei. If Gupailbang’s people come…”
“You idiot!”
Jong Hyo snapped fiercely.
“If Gupailbang was going to come, they would have come already! Does it make sense that they would let us get this far and then come later?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Those who are naturally talented don’t care about people like us! Stop thinking about useless things and finish what you’re doing.”
“But still…”
“You bastard, still!”
Jong Hyo kicked the subordinate in the chest, knocking him down immediately. The man, groaning faintly, looked up at Jong Hyo with a frightened face.
“Such a coward! If the Just Sects truly cared as much as they claim, would the world be divided like this? They would have mustered all their strength and fought Sapaeryeon long ago!”
“…”
“So stop talking and just do as you’re told!”
“Yes! Yes, senior!”
The subordinate quickly ran off. Jong Hyo clicked his tongue as he watched the retreating figure.
“Tsk.”
He knew that the higher one’s rank, the more bothersome things became, which was why he chose to live like this on purpose. But those idiots would never understand. They were so foolish they would remain underlings for life.
He turned his attention from the subordinate to the burning village and the people lying around, bleeding.
Righteousness? If such a thing truly existed in this world, would he still be alive? His very survival was proof that righteousness didn’t exist.
Of course, the King of Hell might not forgive him in the afterlife, but at least in this life, there was no one who would come after him to punish him.
At that moment, he caught sight of a child in the distance, stumbling as if about to fall. A crazed laugh escaped his lips.
“Ha ha.”
Jong Hyo’s grip on his podao tightened.
He took a powerful step forward, leaving a deep imprint on the ground, and thrust his previously pulled-back hand forward in one swift motion.
Swish!
The podao spun at a terrifying speed, hurtling toward the child’s back. It seemed as though it would tear through the small, thin body.
As the podao nearly reached the child, Jong Hyo’s throat bobbed visibly.
Sensing something ominous, the child turned around. In those small eyes was a fleeting glimpse of despair – a sight one could only see in that brief moment.
A cold shiver ran down Jong Hyo’s spine.
Crash!
However, the scene he anticipated shattered suddenly.
Although claiming the podao weighed a hundred geun might be an exaggeration, it certainly weighed over thirty geun. It shattered into pieces, scattering as if it had exploded [근 – geun – unit of weight].
Jong Hyo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He could hardly believe what he was seeing. What could have happened to cause such a heavy weapon to shatter like a fragile piece of pottery?
“What…”
Then, someone’s roar, as fierce as a tiger’s, yanked him back to reality.
“You bastard!”
A man had suddenly appeared where the fleeing child had been.
A sturdy young man with curly hair, dressed in black martial arts uniform, stood there. His eyes were filled with intense killing intent and rage. In one of his arms, he held the exhausted child.
‘When did he…?’
Jong Hyo had not sensed his presence at all. How could he suddenly appear and block his podao.
There was no time to ponder.
“Ahhhh!”
“Aaaaaaaaaagh!”
Screams erupted simultaneously from all directions.
He knew without turning his head. These were not the screams of villagers.
Sure enough, as he glanced around, he saw his subordinates being overpowered and killed by these newly arrived fighters.
“You bastards!”
“How dare you commit such atrocities in human guise!”
The chests of the merciless swordsmen bore a plum blossom emblem.
The moment Jong Hyo saw that emblem, his feet moved faster than his thoughts.
‘Run away…’
But there was something faster than his feet.
Thud!
Jong Hyo gasped. The hand he instinctively raised was now pierced by a sword.
The excruciating pain overwhelmed him, but thanks to his instinctive reaction, he had prevented his head from being impaled.
But then he realized. This was not a better outcome.
“Ugh…”
The sword that had pierced his right hand was now pushing straight toward his face.
“Gah!”
In a panic, Jong Hyo used his uninjured left hand to grab the blade.
Slice!
The icy sword cut through his left hand as well, continuing its relentless advance toward his face.
“Uh, ugh!”
Stumbling backward, Jong Hyo fell to his knees with the sword still impaled in him.
The tip of the sword was now right in front of his nose. Fear began to wash over his face.
Anyone watching this scene from a distance might have thought it was a criminal being executed, with his hands tied in front of him.
“Please, spare…”
“I…”
At that moment, a surprisingly youthful and calm voice brushed past Jong Hyo’s ear. He finally got a good look at the face of the person holding the sword.
It wasn’t the curly-haired swordsman from before.
It was a man with slender eyes, neatly arranged hair, and a small topknot. He had the typical appearance of a young Taoist, but his eyes were cold, making it hard to think of him as a Taoist monk at all.
“I never liked the way cruel killers do their work.”
‘What, what is he talking about…?’
“Those who commit crimes should be punished, but when the punishment is excessively cruel, it’s nothing more than the powerful venting their anger.”
Jong Hyo’s face, twisted with fear and pain, showed a flicker of confusion. He couldn’t comprehend what was being said.
“But now, standing in the position of the punisher, I wonder, can a simple death truly pay for all the crimes you’ve committed? A person only has one life, but the number of lives you’ve taken far exceeds that.”
The sword, which had momentarily paused, began to move slowly again.
“Нiiik!”
Jong Hyo desperately gripped the sword that had pierced his hand. The searing pain felt like his hand was being burned with a hot iron, but he couldn’t let go.
However, the young Taoist moved the sword slowly, as if Jong Hyo’s desperate struggle meant nothing. The motion was torturously slow, but undeniably steady.
“P-Please, spare me…”
“I understand. A Taoist’s duty is to comfort the souls of the unjustly killed, not to punish the wicked. What I’m doing now is definitely outside the role of a Taoist.”
The young Taoist’s eyes were fixed on Jong Hyo, yet it seemed as if he was looking at something beyond him.
Even though he was on the brink of taking a life, he seemed indifferent to the act itself.
Jong Hyo was utterly terrified of this man.
“Ah… Uh… Aaaah!”
Thud!
Eventually, the sword sliced through the skin and penetrated his head. Blood gushed out, and tears streamed down from Jong Hyo’s usually merciless eyes.
“Please, spare me! Please! Please, have mercy…”
But the sword continued its calm, unrelenting progress.
“Grrk..”
In the end, the indifferent sword pierced through his head and plunged deep into the ground.
Yoon Jong watched the convulsing body go limp and then pulled out the sword. He shook off the blood as if it was dirt.
“…Rot here. You don’t even deserve a burial.”
Leaving behind words colder than his gaze, Yoon Jong turned away from the corpse.
“Sahyeong…”
Jo Geol looked at him with worried eyes.
“What about them?”
“We subdued them all just a moment ago. Over there…”
Jo Geol pointed, and Yoon Jong saw the other disciples bringing in the captured enemies.
Yoon Jong’s eyes twitched.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? We subdued them for now..”
“Are you planning to take them into custody?”
Jo Geol was flustered by the harsh reprimand.
“N-no, but we can’t kill those who aren’t resisting, can we?”
Yoon Jong stared silently at the bound enemies, clearly displeased.
“Every moment we delay, another person dies. While we show mercy to scum like them.”
“Sahyeong…”
Yoon Jong strode toward them, sword in hand.
Jo Geol, sensing something ominous, hurried after him…
“Sahyeong!”
Swish!
Yoon Jong’s sword had already cut through the air. In an instant, he shattered the dantians of the captured enemies and severed the tendons in their limbs.
The disciples holding the enemies flinched, and even Jo Geol stopped in his tracks.
“Aaaargh!”
The captured enemies, unable to withstand the pain, foamed at the mouth and fainted.
When they woke up, they would find a life worse than death awaiting them.
Jo Geol’s face showed a mix of relief and dismay. While he was thankful Yoon Jong hadn’t beheaded them, this was still…
“Gag them.”
“S-Sahyeong?”
“If we’re not going to kill them, make sure they can’t speak. Cleaning up after them is a task for those left behind.”
The disciples silently nodded.
If they had more time, they would have dealt with the enemies thoroughly before moving on, but they were pressed for time. They had only discovered this place by chance on their way to their destination.
Thus, Yoon Jong’s order was practical and efficient, though unsettling because it came from Yoon Jong himself.
“Sahyeong. But…”
“Enough.”
Yoon Jong cut off Jo Geol’s words abruptly.
He then silently stared at the child cradled in Jo Geol’s arms for a moment.
After a brief pause, he turned away coldly.
“Finish up within the hour. We move immediately.”
“But what about tending to the injured..?”
“Provide basic first aid. Those who can survive will survive.”
“No! What are you saying…?”
“Is it acceptable for others to die?”
Yoon Jong’s cold words left Jo Geol momentarily speechless.
“…”
“Finish up.”
“…Yes.”
Yoon Jong walked away. As Jo Geol watched his retreating back, a sigh escaped his lips.
‘Sahyeong.’
It was logical and swift, leaving no room for argument.
But why did it feel this way? Why did all his actions resemble the very person Yoon Jong despised the most right now?
Even… his retreating back.
Jo Geol’s eyes wavered with unease as he watched Yoon Jong walk away.
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