Chapter 8

Chapter 8
## Chapter 8: Celestial Pure Jade Milk (2)

“You absolute scoundrels! If the chief hadn’t stopped me, I would have cracked your skulls open right there.”

Cheol Woo’s complexion shifted between crimson and a bruised purple as he knocked back his drink in a single gulp.

“Drop it. Even in the past, people claimed a sample that small wasn’t worth three hundred gold taels. Finding a buyer willing to pay that premium is rare.”

Sima Geon, relieved that they had secured the Celestial Pure Jade Milk regardless of the steep price, attempted to soothe his companion’s temper.

“Regardless, I’m sorry. We used your personal funds.”

“What are you saying? When it’s a matter of saving the kid’s life, the source of the gold doesn’t matter. I’m just livid that those vultures hiked the price the moment they realized how desperate we were.”

Despite their demands for confidentiality, Hwang Jeong had allowed the secret to slip. Because the Water Dragon Merchant Association had deduced that the medicine was vital for Sima Jin’s survival, Cheol Woo had been forced to surrender not only the night-luminescent pearl but the bulk of their gold reserves. The sting of the extortion remained fresh.

“Should I go back and reclaim it all right now?”

Unable to stomach the fraud, Cheol Woo radiated a sharp, lethal intent. Sima Geon’s expression darkened.

“What kind of talk is that? Do you want to tarnish the very medicine meant to save the little one with the scent of blood?”

“You’ve got a point there. My apologies, boss.”

Cheol Woo waved his hands dismissively, embarrassed, and let out a long, weary breath.

“Now that the deed is done, old memories are starting to resurface.”

“What kind of memories?”

“That time you obtained Celestial Pure Jade Milk from the Ghost Gate Clan and gave it to me. If I had been more frugal with it then, we wouldn’t be in this predicament today.”

“Frugal? There was barely enough to go around as it was.”

Sima Geon raised his voice, his face turning solemn.

“Is that so? Still, it felt like a larger dose than what we purchased today. I managed to master the Diamond Indestructible because of it, but still…”

“If we’re being honest, I consumed much more than you did. And look at your frame; that amount was the bare minimum required to see real results. Look, it was overpriced, but it’s ours now. Stop grumbling and drink up. You’re starting to make me want to go back and seize the pearl and gold myself.”

“Hahaha! I knew you had it in you!”

Cheol Woo gave a mischievous smirk.

The two men shared a brief smile, finished their modest meal and spirits, and wasted no time departing from Hangzhou.

Driven by the urgency of Sima Jin’s condition, they pushed their horses hard, riding without a break as the day faded.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, somewhere on the road between Hangzhou and Shaoxing, Sima Geon pulled his horse to a stop.

“What’s the matter?”

Cheol Woo looked at him, confused by the sudden halt. Despite riding hard for over four hours, not a single bead of sweat showed on Cheol Woo’s skin.

“It seems some people are in quite a rush to catch up to us.”

Sima Geon cast a glance over his shoulder.

“Wait…”

Sensing the subtle tremors in the earth, Cheol Woo fell silent.

In the distance, more than a dozen riders were kicking up a storm of dust, galloping rapidly toward their position.

“Who are these idiots?”

“Hard to say, but I have a bad feeling. We’ll have our answer shortly.”

Sima Geon spoke softly, steering his horse to the side of the path to allow the riders to pass.

However, the thundering hooves began to slow as they approached. Sima Geon sighed.

Roughly twenty horses neighed loudly as they drew to a halt. Large, rough-looking men swung down from their saddles, their eyes filled with a predatory, murderous light.

“How did these beggars move so fast?”

“I’m surprised ourselves. I thought we might actually lose them.”

“Should we start by breaking their legs so they can’t run again?”

The men surrounded Sima Geon and Cheol Woo, laughing amongst themselves.

“What a load of crap. Ugh, that smell of blood. Low-lifes like you absolutely reek. You’re nothing but demons, aren’t you?”

Cheol Woo sneered, his nose wrinkling at the metallic scent of slaughter drifting on the breeze.

“Are you following us?”

The leader, who remained mounted, pulled back hard on his reins at Sima Geon’s question.

“Surrender the items quietly, and we’ll grant you a swift death. Fight back, and we’ll ensure you experience a living hell—caught forever between life and death.”

“What items?”

Sima Geon acted confused, though he already suspected the truth.

The leader gave a mocking grin and pointed directly at Sima Geon’s chest.

“The goods you acquired from the Water Dragon Merchant Association.”

Sima Geon’s suspicions were confirmed by the man’s certainty.

‘So much for their word.’

He thought of the elderly leader of the Water Dragon Merchant Association who had sworn to keep the transaction private. Despite being a cunning businessman, he hadn’t struck Sima Geon as a common betrayer.

‘Perhaps the leak happened elsewhere.’

As Sima Geon mulled this over, the leader continued.

“Don’t play the fool. We’ve known about the Celestial Pure Jade Milk from the start and have been on your trail.”

“I’d hand it over if I were you. Our leader was worried that old merchant might have tried to poison it first.”

“Yeah. If we had waited a few more days, we would have climbed over the walls ourselves, regardless of the local authorities.”

“You’re dead either way, so why make it hard? Give it up and die quickly.”

“And look at this giant bear. He’s got an ugly face, doesn’t he?”

“Looks like he’s seen some action. This should be entertaining.”

“I’m claiming that one. Anyone who interferes gets a blade in the gut.”

The thugs circled them, waving their weapons in a mocking display of power.

“A bear, huh? That’s rich. So, who exactly are you people?”

Cheol Woo asked, appearing genuinely curious.

“Are we actually going to tell them?”

“They’re walking corpses. Why not?”

“I suppose so. It’s the least we can do for the dying—settle their curiosity like honorable warriors.”

They laughed together before lowering their voices to a dramatic whisper.

“Have you heard of the Thousand Kills Hall that controls the nights of Hangzhou?”

“We are the elite of that hall.”

The members of the Thousand Kills Hall, certain they held all the cards, bragged without restraint.

“Shut your mouths.”

Hall Leader Ga Deung grew impatient, drawing his blade and pointing it at Sima Geon.

“I’m counting to three. Make your choice: a quick end or a slow agony?”

Disgusted by the chatter, Cheol Woo cleaned out his ear with a finger, flicked away the debris, and said,

“How about you lot just drop dead instead?”

“W-what?”

The blunt response caught Ga Deung and his followers off guard.

Ga Deung’s features twisted into a mask of rage.

“You dare mock me? Men!”

“Yes, Hall Leader!”

“They want to feel pain? Grant it to them. Cut out their eyes and rip out their tongues. But take their legs first.”

The command sparked the dormant cruelty in the men.

Watching their savage, bloodthirsty expressions, Cheol Woo let out a dry chuckle.

“Look at these punks! The stench of blood, the murderous intent. Look at how hard they’re trying to look scary. They’ve definitely spilled blood before.”

With a cold grin, Cheol Woo popped his joints and began to step forward.

“Wait.”

Sima Geon held him back.

“Why?”

Sima Geon gestured with his thumb toward the road behind them.

“Tch.”

Cheol Woo looked back, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and stepped back into line.

“Who the hell are they?”

Ga Deung scowled at the new group approaching from behind Sima Geon.

“What’s the plan, Hall Leader?”

Ilgyeon, Ga Deung’s most sadistic lieutenant, moved closer.

Ga Deung surveyed the newcomers.

It was a woman accompanied by two armed men who stayed a half-step behind her.

‘Bodyguards?’

She appeared to be of high status to have such protection.

But there was no time for hesitation. The goal was the Celestial Pure Jade Milk. They had paid the general manager of the Water Dragon a fortune for this information. He couldn’t retreat now, especially with his superior numbers. Besides, leaving witnesses was a rookie mistake.

“Eliminate them all.”

Ilgyeon smiled cruelly at the command and gave the signal to his subordinates.

“Bandits?”

Hwang Yeong, having reached the scene, asked.

“Yes. Criminals from the Hangzhou underworld.”

Sima Geon answered flatly. However, she and her guards interpreted his calm as fear-induced stiffness.

The Thousand Kills Hall members radiated malice as they closed the circle.

Gok Ja Yu, positioned in front of Hwang Yeong, took a step forward.

“It seems they have no intention of letting us pass either, miss.”

“These rats dare show their teeth to her?”

Yu Sa Ha sneered, unsheathing his blade.

“How shall we proceed?”

Gok Ja Yu asked with polite restraint. Unlike Yu Sa Ha, his sword remained sheathed, his demeanor unshaken by the surrounding threat.

Cheol Woo sent a mental message to Sima Geon after observing the man.

[He’s decent.]

[Agreed. A true practitioner.]

[Well, ‘master’ might be pushing it. But he could certainly handle this trash.]

Sima Geon suppressed a smirk at Cheol Woo’s critique and shifted his gaze to Hwang Yeong.

‘The real power here is the woman.’

He saw immediately that her prowess far exceeded that of her guards. Cheol Woo, noticing a moment later, looked visibly stunned.

Unaware she was being evaluated, Hwang Yeong gave Ga Deung one last opportunity.

“Withdraw now, and no one needs to be harmed. We will overlook this. Go.”

Faced with her unwavering composure despite the odds, Ga Deung hesitated for a heartbeat. But the greed for the jade milk was too strong.

“Kill them!”

Ilgyeon and his men charged.

“Trash!”

Yu Sa Ha spat, his sword cutting through the air in a perfect, sweeping motion.

Ilgyeon’s jagged attack was clumsy by comparison; this movement was seamless, like a gale of wind clearing away fallen leaves.

“Kaaak!”

“Guhk!”

The air filled with the screams of the first wave of attackers as they collapsed.

“Ho! Not bad at all.”

Cheol Woo whispered.

To an untrained eye, it looked like a single strike, but he saw the intricate shifts in the blade’s path.

The rabble of the Thousand Kills Hall, hopelessly outmatched, perished before they even understood they were dead.

Ilgyeon, a veteran of many brawls, managed to twist his body instinctively, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

“H-Hall Leader! They’re… experts…”

He clutched his bleeding chest, stumbling only a few paces before Yu Sa Ha launched his sword. The blade pierced Ilgyeon’s heart from behind, then arced gracefully back into its owner’s hand.