Chapter 72
Chapter 72
“We have verified that the Gyojin Gang was operating under the patronage of the Black Wolf Escort Service.”
“…!”
“Hmph…”
“The Black Wolf Escort Service, of all people…”
An abrupt quiet settled across the hall.
The name Black Wolf Escort Service carried immense dread throughout the region. Beneath their professional veneer as an armed transit agency, they were essentially cutthroats and criminal syndicates operating behind a legitimate storefront. To dismiss them as mere ruffians from the alleys would be an understatement, given their reach, and they genuinely did provide protection for trade routes.
Yet, their outward persona was beside the point.
“Elder Brother, is this syndicate known as the Black Wolf Escort Service truly that formidable?”
Baek Muryang offered a calm clarification to Zhuge Seon’s curious query.
“The Black Wolf Escort Service serves as the backbone and unifying thread for all the dark-path sects scattered across Muju, which encompasses Ak’an County, Little Brother.”
Though the explanation was succinct, Zhuge Seon grasped the reality without difficulty.
The Black Wolf Escort Service held those fractured factions together in an informal alliance. To put it plainly, they functioned as the undisputed spine and overarching authority of the underworld throughout Muju.
Be that as it may…
I figured things would turn out like this. That is precisely why I reached out to Uncle from the start.
The quarry they had snared was far larger than previously estimated. Yet, when mobilizing a power as towering as the Zhuge family, bringing down game of this magnitude felt entirely fitting.
Now that I reflect upon it, if we are speaking of the Black Wolf Escort Service…
Yanghwi sifted through the buried recollections of his former life.
There was unequivocally an untold tale tied to this den of scoundrels—one directly entwined with the renowned Namgung noble house.
A sharp gleam stirred within his gaze.
I might just manage to intercept a magnificent boon that was supposed to fall into the hands of the Namgung clan.
The underlying truth behind these criminals running an escort business was straightforward: they did haul freight across the provinces. The abhorrent distinction lay in their choice of merchandise. Rather than trade wares, they transported chained human souls. Furthermore, a multitude of those stolen people were kept imprisoned within their private compound, forced to labor endlessly under iron collars.
Among those captives…
…was an individual who would later become one of the greatest treasures the Namgung clan ever possessed.
Baek Cheol. He has to be there. He is trapped inside the Black Wolf Escort Service at this very moment.
If his memory held true, Baek Cheol was currently enduring a wretched existence as an enslaved laborer alongside his sire within their fortress.
The timing could not be more sublime. This is an unparalleled opportunity to bring Baek Cheol beneath our banner.
A chance to transform a man destined to be the cornerstone of the Namgung clan into a loyal retainer of the Baek Estate?
He would never let such a prospect slip away.
A broad smirk gracing his lips, Yanghwi raised a hand and raised his voice.
“Father, let us march forth and completely exterminate the Black Wolf Escort Service in one strike!”
“What? Clearing them out would certainly be a great relief to the local populace and an honor for our clan. However, our present martial strength is simply inadequate to wage war against such an adversary.”
In contrast to the grim gravity weighing on Baek Muryang, Yanghwi maintained a thoroughly lighthearted posture.
Beside him, Zhuge Seon wore an equally unbothered grin as he broke in.
“Elder Brother, does the Black Wolf Escort Service harbor an apex realm master among their ranks?”
“In all likelihood. At least one, if not more.”
“In that case, the problem is already solved.”
“Solved? In what manner?”
“Ah, forgive me, you have not yet heard the scheme Yanghwi and I drew up.”
Zhuge Seon proceeded to drop an announcement that left virtually every senior elder in the chamber utterly dumbfounded.
“I shall take the detachment of escort warriors I brought with me and tear the Black Wolf Escort Service apart on your behalf.”
Foreseeing the exact reservations Baek Muryang would voice, Yanghwi immediately braced himself to parry them.
‘We did not enter into brotherhood merely to trade favors and burden each other. Borrowing foreign arms rather than confronting our trials with our own two hands will only invite ruin.’ That is surely what he is preparing to preach.
His father was an upright man whose moral rectitude mirrored unyielding bamboo, making his protests easy to anticipate.
Yet Yanghwi took an entirely different stance on the matter.
Father, we are staying well within the bounds of honor here, so please, just close your eyes and let this pass!
“As expected of my uncle, the illustrious young master of the honorable Zhuge family! To step forward in righteous fury to purge an underworld nest that torments innocent commoners through foul human trafficking!”
Zhuge Seon proved remarkably sharp and immediately played along.
“Quite so! How could an upright disciple of the orthodox path simply overlook vermin like the Black Wolf Escort Service? This undertaking has nothing whatsoever to do with settling any debt of gratitude toward the Baek Estate!”
Observing the two of them put on a theatrical performance worthy of a grand stage, Baek Muryang let out a helpless chuckle.
“Spurning such heartfelt goodwill would also violate courtesy. Only this one time, mind you both.”
A clean strike. We can settle this matter swiftly without any messy aftermath.
Now that approval had been granted, it was time to make full use of this lent authority.
A span of ten days passed following the gathering of the elders at the Baek Estate.
Across the borders of Ak’an County, deep within the neighboring territory of Gyeun County, a contingent of formidable martial artists materialized before the gates of the Black Wolf Escort Service.
Naturally, these were the elite retainers of the Zhuge family, marching under the personal command of Zhuge Seon.
“Hwi, I granted your request to come along because of your ceaseless pestering, but are you truly intending to cross blades with them?”
Perched at Zhuge Seon’s flank, Yanghwi nodded with resolute earnestness.
“Certainly, Uncle. Honored Teacher instructed me that her wisdom can only take root when tempered in genuine life-and-death struggle. I cannot let an opportunity of this caliber pass by.”
It was a total fabrication. His sole motive for tagging along was to locate and secure a specific person. Of course, pocketing any loose wealth and curiosities belonging to the Black Wolf Escort Service was a welcome secondary objective.
“If your master gave the order, then I suppose there is no stopping you. Even so, despite your shocking talent at such an age, you remain a small boy. The Sound Empress truly demonstrates harsh methods.”
“She is exceptionally demanding, that much is true.”
To call her demanding was an immense understatement. To put it accurately, she casually tasked him with feats that would drive any ordinary human insane. After all, upon their very first encounter, she had cast him headfirst into the incomplete Five Halls of Proper Sound.
“Very well. Since your determination is firm… let us proceed.”
A crushing, terrifying pressure began to roll outward from Zhuge Seon’s frame.
Come to think of it, is this the very first time I will witness the Peerless Dragon, Zhuge Seon, in open conflict?
Watching with boundless curiosity, Yanghwi observed his uncle’s next action.
“Master of the Black Wolf Escort Service! Leader of stray curs, drag yourself out here this instant!”
Zhuge Seon unleashed a thunderous lion’s roar. The entire compound of the Black Wolf Escort Service erupted into manic turmoil, resembling a shattered hornets’ nest as countless combatants surged from the courtyards.
“What suicidal cur dares bring his death wish to our—”
Before the insolent guard could finish his threat, an iron brush punctured the space directly between his eyebrows.
The guard collapsed into the dirt without a breath, and a freezing stillness blanketed the crowd.
“Foul dogs of the dark path, let none among you dare speak without the leave of Zhuge Seon. Open your mouths, and you forfeit your lives.”
“The… the Peerless Dragon…!”
Another guard who cried out in absolute terror paid for it with his head on the spot. In a flash of motion, an escort warrior of the Zhuge family closed the distance and ran a blade straight through his heart.
Watching the cold precision, Yanghwi offered an appreciative whistle.
Remarkably smooth. I presumed the Zhuge family solely prioritized their brush and fan disciplines, yet their sword arts are breathtaking.
Historically, the Zhuge family held mastery over three distinct combat arts: iron brush arts, iron fan arts, and swordsmanship. However, their brush and fan techniques enjoyed far greater renown simply because the novelty of such exotic weapons sparked endless gossip in the tea houses. In truth, had their blade arts been lacking, the names of the Lesser Heaven-Star Sword and the Greater Heaven-Star Sword would never have garnered such legendary prestige across the realm.
Indeed, more than half of the warriors Zhuge Seon brought carried traditional swords. Zhuge Seon himself was a formidable master of the blade.
“Master of the Black Wolf Escort Service! Present yourself this very second, or I shall systematically slaughter every single mongrel under your command!”
Moments later, the paramount leader of the stronghold stepped into the open courtyard.
“Hero Zhuge Seon, the Peerless Dragon. This person is the master of the Black Wolf Escort Service…”
Yanghwi leaned forward and interjected with sharp mockery.
“This person? This person? Uncle, this gutter trash possesses the audacity to elevate himself when addressing the esteemed young lord of the Great Zhuge Family!”
“…This humble wretch is Cheol Heuknang, head of the Black Wolf Escort Service. Might I inquire what grand affair brings your exalted presence to our modest gates…?”
Even when righteous sects undertook the purge of dark-path organizations, conflicts between established factions demanded a veneer of righteous justification. Zhuge Seon stood on far too exalted a pedestal to stoop to verbal sparring with someone of this caliber, so Yanghwi willingly took up the role of mouthpiece.
“Why else would we stand here, you cur? We have uncovered the vile conspiracy you were orchestrating against our Baek Estate.”
Bordering on fifty years of age, Cheol Heuknang quivered with bitter rage at being spoken down to like an animal by a child who had not even seen ten summers.
“Did a winter fever strike you in your waning years? What causes you to tremble so violently? Ah, could it be that you are the frail sort who shivers with anxiety whenever an audience gathers?”
“…Your young master possesses a remarkably sharp tongue. As for any conspiracy, I know nothing of such things.”
He swallowed that without lashing out? For an underworld boss, his patience is surprisingly sturdy.
“If you know nothing of it, then perhaps your…”
Yanghwi nearly brought up the man’s mother before catching himself and glancing sideways at Zhuge Seon. If he reverted to the filthy vernacular of his former wandering days and his father caught wind of it, he would undoubtedly be forced to kneel through three full shichen of stern moralizing.
“Ahem. Be that as it may, our evidence is as high as a mountain.”
Upon receiving Zhuge Seon’s nod, two warriors stepped forward bearing ledgers packed with proof, dragging a bound captive between them. The prisoner was none other than the underworld broker who had served as the intermediary between the Black Wolf Escort Service and the Gyojin Gang.
“This man has laid bare the entire operation, and we have traced the path of every single piece of silver you dispersed. Will you continue this pathetic charade?”
Cheol Heuknang went pale as he realized the snare had closed completely around him.
“I concede that our company took dishonorable actions against the Baek Estate! But by what right does the Zhuge family cross regions to persecute us?”
His grievance was technically grounded in martial protocol.
Of course, dismantling such an objection was effortless.
These thugs possess heads full of rocks. I engineered an ironclad justification beforehand precisely for this moment.
“Uncle, if you please.”
Zhuge Seon gave a cold nod and addressed the gathered throng in a carrying voice.
“I, Zhuge Seon, have not raised my sword today to pursue a private vendetta on behalf of the Baek Estate. As a righteous martial artist of the orthodox path, I have come exclusively to eradicate the parasitic vermin who exploit and ravage the defenseless people through horrific villainy.“
The thick ledgers hurled by the retainers struck Cheol Heuknang in the face one after the other. Each parchment was filled with detailed logs of the Black Wolf Escort Service’s illicit trafficking networks and atrocities.
“…”
Cheol Heuknang gathered one of the books from the dirt, his hands violently trembling as he took in the incontrovertible records written inside.
From that second onward, the subjugation proceeded without the slightest hindrance.
To put it plainly, ten apex realm masters tore through the ranks like descending deities, obliterating the stronghold of the Black Wolf Escort Service with overwhelming violence.
Good grief. When one wields the might of the Five Great Houses, things unfold with frightening ease.
The master of the Black Wolf Escort Service, supposedly an apex realm master in his own standing?
Zhuge Seon stepped into the fray personally and severed the man’s head from his shoulders with casual grace.
The hundred-odd escort fighters defending the compound?
More than half were slain where they stood, while the surviving dregs scattered in wild panic.
With the heavy lacquered sign hanging above the grand gateway ripped down to be burned as firewood, the Black Wolf Escort Service was wiped from existence on this very day.
“Uncle. According to the documents we retrieved, countless victims and enslaved people are confined within the inner sanctum and locked inside subterranean cellars.”
“I am already informed. I shall oversee the elimination of the remaining resistance, so go forward, Yanghwi. I will dispatch two warriors to shield you.”
Flanked on either side by two apex realm masters, Yanghwi marched across the conquered compound. Ordering two apex masters around while barely nine years old provided him a rather intoxicating taste of what it meant to leverage borrowed prestige.
Ah, no wonder people spend their entire lives cultivating powerful backers.
Even while relishing the sensation, he never lost sight of his true aim. While this was a strike of vengeance, it also served as an act of genuine righteousness.
“Hear me, everyone! The Black Wolf Escort Service has been wiped out as of today! Every single one of you is liberated, so come forth!”
Inside a wretched, foul-smelling storeroom, children were bound in heavy iron shackles.
He struck off every single chain.
He similarly broke open the opulent pavilions where captive women had been locked away in isolation.
Baek Cheol ought to be somewhere in this perimeter.
Drawing upon the knowledge of his previous life, Baek Cheol had endured roughly a decade of horrific enslavement under the boot of the Black Wolf Escort Service before the Namgung noble house would finally rescue him five years from this day.
He was bound to be here.
Halting one of the weeping women who had just stepped into the light, Yanghwi asked,
“Are there any other prisoners or kidnapped souls kept in this vicinity?”
“None within these walls, benefactor. However… I am aware that craftsmen and individuals possessing special trades are not kept down here. They are detained within an encampment tucked away in the mountain pass behind the grounds.”
So an isolated work camp exists.
Wasting no time, he made his way toward the crags behind the fortress.
Tucked into an elevated hollow surrounded by jagged, rocky slopes, a small village-like settlement came into view.
“Please go forth and inform the captives of their freedom. I shall patrol the perimeter to see if anyone is injured and unable to walk.”
“We obey, young master.”
Offering a tidy pretext, Yanghwi broke away to search for Baek Cheol on his own.
His initial target was the forge erected at the center of the hollow.
As the two apex masters began roaring across the settlement about the downfall of the Black Wolf Escort Service, a panicked rustling stirred within the workshop.
Oh?
Before long, he caught sight of a figure nervously peering past the edge of the forge’s wooden door.
The figure appeared caught between youth and early manhood.
He bore an unpretentious, remarkably meek countenance.
Beaming brightly, Yanghwi called across the dirt.
“Brother, might I ask your name?”
“I am… Baek Cheol. Um… Young Hero… what in the world has occurred here…?”
Hearing the timid boy stammer his name, a rush of triumphant certainty flooded Yanghwi’s heart.
I have found you at last, divine smith (神匠).
A wide, sharp grin spread across his face.
The peerless divine sword (神劍) of the Namgung clan, Azure Sky (蒼天)… in this life, I shall ensure it becomes the paramount heirloom blade of our Baek house.
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