#140: Seeing The Demon (8) — The Patriarch of Sichuan

Ha Suk-heon was in a foul mood.

But the situation really was urgent enough that he had to suppress it for the moment.

“So.”

“…”

“You’re saying that a group of unknown people have occupied the Divine Iron Merchant House, and you want us to help?”

Gong Cheong bowed his head.

“My apologies.”

“Listen, Hero Gong. You know very well that no one can know our association and Divine Iron have joined hands.”

“I came to you even knowing that.”

Gong Cheong didn’t stay meek.

This side’s lives were on the line. Of course, they didn’t know who had occupied the Divine Iron Merchant House. To be even more honest, there might be no one inside at all. Gyeong Do-cheon’s assassins hadn’t infiltrated to check.

That was why it was even more dangerous.

A situation they couldn’t even guess at was worse than news that an overwhelming master had shown up.

“This is urgent. We will repay today’s rudeness and debt twofold, threefold.”

“Grr.”

“Elder! If the First Young Master doesn’t become Divine Iron’s master, won’t the Cheongyang Association suffer a great loss as well? And if Divine Iron collapses altogether, from then on you’ll have to contend with other organizations!”

It wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

Ha Suk-heon let out a sigh.

He understood Gong Cheong. If it were his home in that situation, he’d lose his mind too. Thinking that way, Gong Cheong was actually being sufficiently courteous.

Ha Suk-heon fell into thought, then spoke bluntly.

“Let me sum it up. You’re asking for support when you don’t even know what kind of master is inside the Divine Iron Merchant House, or how many there are if there is one.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s hard to prepare to fight an enemy when you don’t know their strength. How can we help without at least minimal information?”

Gong Cheong spoke quickly.

“Our clan’s armed forces, including the gate unit, might not be enough to match one of the Eight Martial Houses, but we aren’t far behind the Fragrant Brocade Merchant Guild.”

“That’s all?”

“And.”

He had to be completely honest. But if he revealed this, it would hand over a huge weakness.

Gong Cheong bit his lip.

‘If we can’t resolve this now, there won’t be a later anyway.’

In the end, he confessed plainly.

“The First Young Master had assassins he controlled in secret, like his own hands and feet.”

“Assassins, sure, but…”

“They were successors of Salmak.”

“W-what?!”

Ha Suk-heon was shocked.

“Successors of Salmak were helping the First Young Master?”

“More precisely, the First Young Master controlled an assassin organization founded by some of Salmak’s successors. Their number was over two hundred fifty. They can’t be compared to Salmak of old, but they were enough to be considered the finest in Sichuan today.”

“!!”

Ha Suk-heon’s face turned grave.

‘He hid that well.’

In a situation like this, Gong Cheong wouldn’t lie.

And from Gong Cheong’s perspective, it was something he didn’t have to reveal. Ha Suk-heon himself had only ever mentioned a tiny part of his own sect’s secret organization and secretly trained masters.

Either way, that wasn’t the important part.

“You’re telling me an assassin group worthy of being called Sichuan’s finest, even if it can’t match Salmak, got wiped out whole?”

“That’s right. Excluding the assassins who built information lines along the routes, the number of assassins hidden inside the clan was over one hundred fifty, and more than half of them were concentrated in the inner court.”

“…”

“Each of the inner-court assassins is worthy of being called first-rate.”

Ha Suk-heon’s eyes wavered.

On top of the Divine Iron Merchant House’s original forces, there were nearly eighty first-rate assassins, and another roughly eighty assassins in the outer court who were only somewhat below that.

At that scale, they could more or less contend with one of the Eight Martial Houses even in a head-on fight. If all members were deployed for assassination, and they went as far as mutual destruction, it was power that could devastate even two or three of the Eight Martial Houses.

Meaning, inside the Divine Iron Merchant House, power capable of facing at least three of the Eight Martial Houses was lying in wait. At least by simple math.

‘Or there might be no one inside, but that’s unlikely.’

Ha Suk-heon shook his head.

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand. Where did power like that suddenly come from?”

“…We don’t know either.”

They didn’t know, so they got hit. Ha Suk-heon tried thinking about it from another angle.

“Could it be that the successors of Salmak formed another assassin organization, and the Elder Patriarch brought them in and had them destroy each other?”

“We’re leaving every possibility open.”

“No matter how I think about it, the estimated strength is too high. What if there wasn’t actually that much power, and they used a special poison instead?”

Gong Cheong nodded.

“That’s one of the possibilities we’re weighing most heavily.”

That was true. Like Ha Suk-heon, they also didn’t think power capable of handling two or three of the Eight Martial Houses had struck the Divine Iron Merchant House.

The Crimson Blood Hands were professionals. It was more reasonable to think poison was used, or an assassin organization of a similar level had moved.

“Is there nowhere else you can request support besides us?”

“There is.”

Gong Cheong didn’t bother pretending there wasn’t. In truth, people were already gathering from all over, moment by moment.

Rather, his honesty eased Ha Suk-heon’s burden too.

‘It can’t be helped.’

If he was going to help, he had to help decisively.

He had heard most authority in the Divine Iron Merchant House was concentrated in Gyeong Do-cheon. If he helped just this once, their future dealings would become very smooth.

If Gyeong Do-cheon died, he’d have to deal with a different leader in Divine Iron, and there was no guarantee secrecy would hold.

In the end, Ha Suk-heon decided.

“They’re rough men. Will that be all right?”

“Of course. We need every hand we can get.”

“They aren’t just rough men. Every one of them has their name on the Heavenly Will Alliance’s public wanted list.”

“That’s great. It’ll even make the cleanup……”

“Fifteen are Demon General class, and thirty are Ghost General class.”

“!!”

Gong Cheong’s eyes widened in an instant.

“That much strength…?!”

Ha Suk-heon gave a bitter smile.

“They’re bastards who especially don’t listen, so I’ve been training them. But don’t be too happy. Among the Demon General class, only five have truly outstanding martial strength. The rest are a bit lacking in strength for their danger.”

“S-still, that will be more than enough help!”

“The thirty Ghost General class have strength worthy of their rank. Will this be enough?”

“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

They ranked by danger more than strength, but usually Demon General class meant Peak Realm masters, and Ghost General class meant first-rate level.

Gong Cheong felt relieved, yet inwardly dumbfounded. He knew the Cheongyang Association had prepared for over twenty years with ambitions of unifying Sichuan, but to think they had amassed such strength?

“If I give the order, they’ll arrive within one hour. Looking at the sky, it’s full of dark clouds. Snow will fall soon. Still, dawn will break before long. What if the sound of fighting inside the Merchant House reaches the village?”

“The Trade Routes Department are clearing the village right now.”

Ha Suk-heon admired him inwardly. He wasn’t only running around asking for help. He had been preparing in his own way.

“So the stage is set.”

“That’s right.”

“One last question. Are the Trade Routes Department’s losses heavy?”

It was something he had to confirm as a leader dealing in trade. The Trade Routes Department currently handled Divine Iron’s business.

“Don’t worry. Aside from a few key members, all Trade Routes personnel are outside the clan. It was to complete this second transaction with the Cheongyang Association.”

Ha Suk-heon’s smile deepened.

“You really are people worth opening the Second-Class Ghost Gate for.”

Strength like fifteen Demon General class and thirty Ghost General class, and it was only the Second-Class Ghost Gate.

He was curious how tremendous the strength gathered in the First-Class Ghost Gate must be, but Gong Cheong held back the question.

“Please help us.”

“I’ll call them right now. Let’s go to the Merchant House.”

“What?”

“I told you. They’re bastards who can’t be controlled unless I’m there.”

Ha Suk-heon lifted his chin.

“As an elder of the sect that will soon take Sichuan in hand, I’ll go myself. To see what kind of bastards they are.”

Gong Cheong’s face brightened.

Masters gathered one by one.

After exchanging greetings with Ha Suk-heon as well, Gyeong Do-cheon felt his heart steady.

Around him, more than one hundred masters had gathered. Excluding the roughly fifty vicious masters under Ha Suk-heon, all the rest were people he’d gathered through his own connections.

The sky, full of dark clouds, was so dim it felt like evening despite being morning.

Soon, snow fell from the sky, one flake at a time.

“Snow’s falling. The mood is good. Let’s prepare.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s eyes burned.

Ha Suk-heon, looking at the Divine Iron Merchant House’s main gate, glanced at him and was startled.

‘What is this?’

The aura faintly emanating from Gyeong Do-cheon’s body was startling.

It wasn’t only his internal energy. That chilly aura was uniquely sharp and eerie. An aura laced with Ghost Qi, maybe. It was an aura so unsettling you hesitated to approach.

‘Just what kind of martial art did he learn…’

Gyeong Do-cheon drew a treasured sword.

“Let’s go catch the ruffians who trespassed.”

And so the hundred-plus masters led by Gyeong Do-cheon arrived before the Merchant House’s main gate.

‘Hm?’

Ha Suk-heon’s eyes flashed.

“First Young Master. Someone is beyond the gate…”

“Yes. I can feel it.”

Ha Suk-heon looked at Gyeong Do-cheon again.

‘He can feel that?’

Such was possible if one had Peak Realm-level sensing.

What was surprising was Gyeong Do-cheon’s age. And the one standing quietly beyond the gate wasn’t even revealing himself.

How many of the masters gathered here could even sense that presence?

‘How…?!’

Gyeong Do-cheon’s face twisted.

“So you were waiting for me after all. Fine! Let’s see what kind of bastards you are!”

He swung his sword.

Kwang!

The bar wedged into a narrow gap shattered with an explosive bang.

His internal energy and momentum were tremendous, but his sword path wasn’t refined. The bar wasn’t cut by sword aura. It was closer to being smashed by sheer internal power.

But with internal energy and explosive force like this, he probably didn’t need an exquisite sword art.

Ha Suk-heon grew more and more surprised at Gyeong Do-cheon’s ability.

But his surprise was only beginning.

Gyeong Do-cheon pushed the gate open with both hands.

Kurureung!

The heavy gate swung wide to either side with a thunderous rumble.

The fluttering snow began to lay itself down on the ground.

“Who dares!”

In that instant, Gyeong Do-cheon flinched.

In the middle of the road stretching straight into the inner court, a man was seated.

Even from a great distance, Gyeong Do-cheon could tell. The man’s hair was dyed white. It wasn’t an illusion from the falling snow.

His skin was pale as well, if not as much as his hair, and his jawline was sharp. A plain iron sword was planted in the ground, and both hands rested atop the pommel. A still calm clung to the posture.

Gyeong Do-cheon strode forward.

“Who are you?”

His steps sped up.

“I asked what you are!!”

Then the white-haired youth raised his head.

“?!”

Gyeong Do-cheon stopped.

Terrifying killing intent poured from the white-haired youth’s eyes as he stared at him.

The youth opened his mouth.

Even before words came out, a pale haze brushed past his lips, giving off a grim pressure.

“Gyeong Do-cheon.”

“…Who are you?”