Chapter 976 – 976. The Ascent Of Guangming
I seized control of the Iron Crow Clan. Everyone in the Iron Crow Clan was watching Seong Ji-gon, especially him.
Seong Ji-gon tormented the clan members as much as he had been holding back. It became routine for him to assault members for no reason other than boredom. It was quite brutal. Seong Ji-gon had probably changed the moment he was betrayed by Woo Young-tae twice. You could say he had grown differently.
“Woo Young-tae. You’re on watch duty from start to finish.”
Seong Ji-gon said crookedly. Woo Young-tae nodded with a face that looked half-dead.
“Yes, Seong Ji-gon-nim.”
After that day, Woo Young-tae was isolated. No one tried to help or talk to him. They were afraid of getting on Seong Ji-gon’s bad side.
“Woo Young-tae. What’s with the taste of tonight’s dinner? Are you messing with me?”
“I-I’m sorry. There were no ingredients today…”
“Who told you to make excuses? If there are no ingredients, you should have gotten some, shouldn’t you? You have no sense. Seriously.”
Slap, slap, slap!
A series of slaps landed on Woo Young-tae’s cheeks. Seong Ji-gon was relentless. It was partly my fault too. After all, I was the one who taught Seong Ji-gon how to push people to their limits.
I called a few members aside and assigned them to watch Woo Young-tae.
“Keep an eye on Woo Young-tae.”
“…Yes. We will thoroughly monitor him to ensure he doesn’t escape.”
“There’s no way Woo Young-tae would start a rebellion.”
“That’s not it. I want you to watch him so he doesn’t commit suicide.”
They nodded with surprised expressions. Well, the possibility of Woo Young-tae committing suicide was actually low. Even though he looked like that, he was a ronin who had been through rough times and a martial artist who had reached the 7th level of standing combat. I was doing this because it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
‘Seong Ji-gon is seething with betrayal. He feels rage towards Woo Young-tae. I hope Seong Ji-gon becomes more vicious because of this.’
Seong Ji-gon wasn’t stupid, but he lacked experience. I wasn’t going to keep him with me forever, and if he didn’t want to be taken advantage of in this harsh world, he needed to have a certain level of viciousness.
My gaze followed Seong Ji-gon. Seong Ji-gon was talking to a member. I amplified my hearing by channeling my inner energy. I could hear their conversation.
“Hey, where did you say your hometown was?”
“It’s a small village near Anhui Province.”
“If you just say it’s a village near Anhui Province, how am I supposed to know? Tell me the exact location and the village name.”
“…It’s about ten li east of Anhui Province. The village is called Jae-gyeong Village… There’s a small lake next to it.”
“Your family lives there? What’s your family composition? Is your mother still alive?”
“M-My mother is old. She doesn’t know anything. Please don’t touch her. I beg you! I’ll give you money! Please, Seong Ji-gon-nim!”
“Old? Then even better. Tell me your mother’s name. Hurry!”
He was going to sleep with the mothers of the Iron Crow Clan members. That wasn’t just something he said in a fit of anger. I didn’t interfere with Seong Ji-gon. He wouldn’t want my interference either.
However, I did interfere with something else.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Seong Ji-gon screamed and charged at Jin Gu-eon, the leader of the Iron Crow Clan. Jin Gu-eon calmly met Seong Ji-gon’s sword with his own.
Combat.
Seong Ji-gon lacked practical experience compared to his skill. There was a limit to who I could spar with. So, I made the members, including Jin Gu-eon, fight with Seong Ji-gon. The members would fight Seong Ji-gon in groups of two or three, and Jin Gu-eon had a winning record against Seong Ji-gon in one-on-one battles. 11 wins and 3 losses.
‘Seong Ji-gon is growing day by day.’
•••
I walked.
My destination was Manmu City, where the Manmu Tower was located.
I had taken control of the Iron Crow Clan, but my goal hadn’t changed.
“Yoo-jin, there’s an inn over there?”
Seong Ji-gon pointed straight ahead. There was an old inn in the middle of the road. Considering that there was a village before we came here, it wasn’t that surprising. There were often inns for travelers passing through, not just for villagers.
“Yeah, there is. Should we rest for a bit?”
“…May I say something?”
Jin Gu-eon said, coming from behind. I nodded.
“We ronin don’t recklessly enter inns on the road. We’re especially careful of inns that aren’t well-known, especially those without people.”
“Why? Shouldn’t you be happy to find an inn on the road?”
“Do you know about the Black Spots?”
“I’ve heard of them. They’re black marketeers, right? They sell things like drugs.”
“It’s not just drugs. They also sell human meat. And at the same time, they’re the ones who procure the human meat. The stories about Black Spots that capture and sell ronin who come to them are well-known among ronin.”
“So, you’re saying that place is a Black Spot?”
“I don’t know for sure. But we ronin don’t go into suspicious places. It’s essential to live long.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like anything special, so let’s just pass by.”
There were still a few hours before sunset. I was already used to sleeping outdoors, so there was no reason to sleep at an inn. I could just use the food I brought from the modern world or [Baekhwan] world. There was no reason to stop at the inn.
“Yes. The sooner we move, the sooner we’ll arrive at Manmu City.”
Jin Gu-eon was pleased.
We were about to pass by the inn when Seong Ji-gon suddenly grabbed my shoulder. When I stopped, the ronin of the Iron Crow Clan also stopped.
“Seong Ji-gon, what is it?”
“Yoo-jin, don’t get annoyed, just look over there.”
Seong Ji-gon pointed at the inn. Through the wide-open window of the inn, we could see the staff inside. A middle-aged man sitting on a chair and an old woman dozing off at the entrance.
I understood Seong Ji-gon’s intention. He was targeting the old woman. She looked to be about 80 years old. Her back was bent, and her face and hands were covered in wrinkles. Her white hair was held in place with an old wooden hairpin.
“That old woman… she’s unusual.”
“Unusual? She’s just a common old hag you can see anywhere.”
“No…! My gut is telling me. That woman is not an ordinary old woman. And Yoo-jin… I can’t hold back. I’m already hard…”
Seong Ji-gon said shyly. I clicked my tongue, looking at his bulging crotch. Of course, it was smaller than mine.
Jin Gu-eon and the other members of the Iron Crow Clan were horrified and distanced themselves from Seong Ji-gon.
I checked Seong Ji-gon’s face. His breathing was rough, and his eyes were bloodshot.
‘He already had his fill in the village earlier, and he’s still like this? He’s really fixated on that old woman.’
From Seong Ji-gon’s perspective, it must have been like meeting an absolute beauty by chance on the road. Thinking about it that way, I could understand Seong Ji-gon’s feelings. Of course, I didn’t understand his taste at all.
“Yoo-jin, I’ll try to seduce that old woman within half an hour.”
Hearing his ambition to seduce her within an hour, I chuckled.
“We’ll rest here before we go!”
I said to the Iron Crow Clan. There were no complaints.
They all rushed in and filled the inn. The middle-aged man who had been sitting went into the kitchen, and the dozing old woman came over excitedly.
“Welcome! Our Odong Inn sells noodles and bamboo leaf wine!”
“Old hag. Is that all you sell? What else?”
The old woman looked at me. It was because my words were rude. The old woman looked at me for a moment and then said,
“…Unfortunately, that’s all we have.”
“Bamboo leaf wine and noodles. Bring enough for everyone.”
“Alright. And… our inn is prepaid.”
I frowned and jumped up from my chair. The ronin followed me and stood up.
“This crazy old hag. Does she think we’re going to eat without paying? How dare she disrespect the Iron Crow Clan like this?”
The flustered old woman waved her hands.
“No! That’s not what I meant! Our inn takes prepayment from everyone. P-Please believe me!”
“Seong Yoo-jin, that’s the rule of this inn. It’s not like she’s disrespecting us.”
Seong Ji-gon naturally intervened. He stood in front of the old woman with a determined expression.
“Ugh… Seong Ji-gon, if you say so, I guess I have no choice.”
When I sat back down, the other members also sat back down.
“I’m sorry. My friends are a bit rough. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay… I’m more than okay…”
The old woman looked touched. The plan had worked.
“My name is Seong Ji-gon. May I ask what your name is?”
“My name is Ma Yo. Thank you for helping me, young hero Seong!”
“Haha. It’s nothing. It’s only natural to help a beautiful woman.”
“Ah, a beautiful woman…? Are you talking about me?”
“Of course, I’m talking about Ma Yo-nim.”
“T-That’s the first time I’ve heard such words in almost 50 years…!”
The old woman’s cheeks flushed red. Seong Ji-gon said he liked that about her and started talking to her. He respected the old woman and complimented her appearance. The 100% sincere compliments were enough to make the old woman excited. Even when they’re old, women are still women.
I turned my head away. It was mentally exhausting to keep watching.
Soon, food started coming out of the kitchen. Seong Ji-gon stopped the old woman from carrying the food and served it himself. A few quick-witted members jumped up and helped Seong Ji-gon.
The members started eating. Some members who didn’t like noodles reached for the bamboo leaf wine instead. There wasn’t a single one of them who didn’t like alcohol.
I ate the noodles and spat them out. The moment they touched my tongue, the bad taste rose up. They were terribly tasteless. They were musty and salty. It was strange that the others were eating the noodles as if they were delicious.
“Kyah! The bamboo leaf wine is amazing!”
“The noodles were like trash. But the bamboo leaf wine is great.”
“Kyahhhh!”
There were rave reviews about the bamboo leaf wine. I drank the bamboo leaf wine and watched Seong Ji-gon. It was the first time I had seen Seong Ji-gon directly seducing an old woman, and he was surprisingly good at it. I could see glimpses of myself in Seong Ji-gon’s actions.
‘It wasn’t just empty words when he said he learned from me.’
But suddenly, I felt a strong drowsiness.
It was strange. My body wasn’t that of an ordinary human. Even if I drank high-proof alcohol, I wouldn’t feel such a strong urge to sleep. That’s because I don’t get drunk.
‘This isn’t because of the alcohol. There’s another problem.’
It wasn’t a mental technique. As long as I had Absolute Spirit, no one could touch my mind.
‘…It’s a drug. They put sleeping pills in it. Was this place a Black Spot?’
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
I could hear the sound of heads hitting the tables here and there. Everyone had been drugged. Even Jin Gu-eon, who had been drinking the bamboo leaf wine, was no exception.
‘This crazy bastard talked about Black Spots and then drank the alcohol?’
Perhaps he had let his guard down, trusting in me, who was stronger than him. He must have thought that I, who was at the Five Qi realm, could handle anything. But this sleeping pill was no ordinary one. It was getting harder and harder to resist.
Seong Ji-gon also fell asleep. He collapsed into the old woman’s arms while they were talking. I was impressed to see him groping the old woman’s chest in the process.
‘…Heavenly Heart.’
The drowsiness suddenly disappeared. But my head fell onto the table with a thud. I was going to find out what their purpose was for drugging us.
When everyone had passed out from the sleeping pills, the middle-aged man walked out of the kitchen. The man smiled brightly.
“Mother! This is a jackpot! We hit the jackpot today! More than 30 people came in! They look like a ronin group, so if we sell them all… Hehehe. We’ll make enough money to live comfortably for 15 years! I can’t believe we’re so lucky! Hehehe… I can’t help but laugh. Hehe.”
“First, kill the ones who look weak. Put the hearts and brains in the storage room separately, and throw away the other organs. You know?”
“Stop nagging… Do you think this is the first time I’ve done this? There are a lot of fresh martial artists, so the demons will buy them at a high price. Ah, can I kill this rude bastard?”
The middle-aged man said, pointing at me. He was angry at me for being rude to the old woman earlier.
“That guy is the leader of the ronin group. He’ll sell for the highest price. Keep him alive. If he looks like he’s going to wake up, give him more drugs.”
“Mother. What about that guy?”
He said, pointing at Seong Ji-gon, who the old woman was hugging.
“This one… I’ll tie him up and have a little chat with him.”
“Huh?”
“This guy is completely captivated by my charm. He might even become part of our family.”
The old woman said with a strange smile. In contrast, the man was flustered.
“Mother?”
“He might become your new father.”
“……”
