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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Eradicating Parasites (2)
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'When did it poison me?'
He was startled by the sudden change and panicked.
What should he do?
But Dang Yu-wol didn't wait.
"Kuhk!!"
His fist slammed into the man's dantian.
Since he was defenseless and poisoned, the blow was devastating.
"Cough! Cough!"
His dantian shook violently, making his mind reel.
As he vomited blood violently, Dang Yu-wol grabbed him.
-Crash!!
And tossed him lightly.
Crashing through the door, he tumbled to the floor.
-How about trying this?
'What is it?'
-It's called Infectious Poison. It creates wounds in the body and makes them fester.
'Sounds very painful.'
-That much I guarantee.
Ye-ui's voice was filled with confidence.
-However, once poisoned with this, recovery isn't easy.
'Bi-sam was spared because of his testimony, but this guy has no such value.'
He was going to kill him anyway.
And if the bastard suffered excruciating agony in the process, what could be better?
"Kaaak! Keuk! Uuueeuk!!"
Blood and pus oozed from all seven orifices of Gang Il-deok, who had been poisoned.
"H-Hiiik?!"
"G-Gang Escort Leader?!"
The attendants and escorts looked back and forth between him and Dang Yu-wol in horror.
Dang Yu-wol paid them no mind.
"This is punishment for the traitor Gang Il-deok. No one touch him."
No one could resist his chilling command.
From outside came pleas begging for mercy, sobbing that he was wrong.
But Dang Yu-wol focused on something else.
-The ledger?
'Yes. From my memory, there was a request around this time... Here it is.'
What caught his eye was a request for medicinal herbs.
'This will do for now.'
He pocketed the request slip and stepped outside.
Gang Il-deok was still gasping for breath.
-He looks just like a bug.
'That bug toyed with the Tang Clan.'
"Gruk... Spare... Gruk... Cough. Mercy..."
Regret, remorse, despair.
All those emotions filled his gaze.
Meeting it, Dang Yu-wol placed his foot on the man's head.
"Parasites."
-Must die.
-Crunch!!
He pressed down hard.
As if crushing every parasite that had leeched onto the Tang Clan.
"Y-Young Clan Head..."
Until now, Dang Yu-wol had lived like a wastrel, as if watered-down liquor.
For him to change in an instant.
Everyone was stunned beyond words.
"Clear it away."
"Yes!"
As the attendants hurriedly moved, Dang Yu-wol turned his gaze.
His eyes fell on the escorts.
They too were terrified.
Having killed their leader, he would come for them next, they thought.
"Escort Yang Jin. Escort Jin Ho-gang."
"Yes!?"
"Y-Yes!!"
The two escorts whose names were called stepped forward hastily.
Dang Yu-wol's gaze toward them differed from the one he'd given Gang Il-deok.
It was a bit warmer.
'Those two stuck it out until the end.'
When the Sacheon Tang Clan faced the Blood Cult's assault, many fled.
But those two had stayed and fought to the bitter end, even as the clan faced annihilation.
'They sacrificed their lives to protect the Tang Clan's untrained retainers who didn't know how to fight.'
-Oh. Impressive.
'They steeled themselves to death to take down even one more Blood Cult bastard.'
-Then you should take care of them. I like people like that.
'Me too.'
Having witnessed their deaths firsthand, Dang Yu-wol spoke calmly.
"I know you've worked tirelessly for the escort agency until now."
"I-It was just doing our job for the pay."
"We second-rate warriors have nowhere else to go..."
"By order of the Clan Head, I will act as proxy escort agency head for the time being."
"Yes!!"
"I want you two to help me revive the Sacheon Escort Agency."
"U-Understood."
"We'll do our best."
The faces of the two escorts darkened as they replied.
They had long careers in the martial world, but at best, they were barely second-rate warriors who had just surpassed third-rate.
"I doubt we can be of much help."
"We're just lowly second-rate escorts."
"Don't feel burdened just because you're second-rate."
Dang Yu-wol shook his head at their self-deprecation.
How to grow stronger?
There were plenty of ways.
"I-Is that so?"
"What matters is the heart."
He had lived decades for revenge.
And in doing so, learned a truth, which he now shared calmly.
"Train at the Tang Clan residence. You'll grow stronger that way."
"Understood."
What could they say when someone of high status said so?
They could only bow their heads.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
By the time the escort agency matters were sorted, the sun was setting.
-They made a real mess of it.
'What do you expect from parasites sucking the place dry?'
The agency's state was a disaster.
Especially the warehouse inventory—almost nothing matched the records.
Most had been siphoned off by Gang Il-deok for his own gain.
"We need to seize Gang Il-deok's assets first."
"But... to do that, we'd need the officials' help."
"Gang Il-deok wasn't a fool. Do you think he diverted funds in a way that could be easily recovered?"
It wasn't wrong.
He'd likely gotten notarizations from officials and laundered it properly.
Yang Jin and Jin Ho-gang, experienced in the jianghu, cautioned carefully.
"Gang Il-deok has long been cozy with Sacheon's officials, bribing them heavily."
"Even if we try to seize his assets, the officials won't sit idly by."
Gang Il-deok had no family.
Upon his death, his wealth would float in limbo.
Would vulture-like officials leave it alone?
-Without proper oversight, officials are the same in any era.
One couldn't ignore the tone dripping with distrust of humanity.
Though the elders had said it wasn't like this in the past.
'In the past, officials wouldn't dare interfere in Tang Clan affairs...'
But now the Tang Clan's power scraped the bottom.
So the officials looked down on them.
What, then, must be done to crush those officials?
'I need greater authority.'
And the way to obtain it was nearby.
Dang Yu-wol pulled out the request slip from his bosom.
"What's that?"
"A request slip. Ones that Gang Il-deok rejected or failed are listed."
"What's on it?"
"See for yourself."
The two stepped forward to view the opened section.
"O Manor's request?"
"O Manor—isn't that the place?"
A small manor located in the north of Seongdo County.
The residence of General Ga Won-seong, a third-grade official who had come south to recuperate after being wounded in the northern army.
And they had requested an escort for it.
"The cargo is... medicinal herbs from Shaanxi and Henan."
"These herbs...?"
The request was for thirty boxes of red ginseng and fifty boxes of deer antler base.
Plus a few other herbs.
Rare ones, hard to come by.
"All herbs that bolster yang energy."
"Is that so? But why request these herbs?"
"Do you know why General Ga Won-seong retired?"
"Uh... He took internal injuries fighting northern nomads, and they worsened..."
"That's the official story."
-I know this guy too. He was in the Blood Cult records.
'Yes.'
-Wounded in battle with northern nomads and retired.
That wasn't all.
-When the Blood Cult attacked the Great Empire, he led the imperial army despite his injuries.
'A fine man.'
-I admit it. I've only seen Blood Cult trash for thousands of years.
Ye-ui's voice held contempt.
He hated the Blood Cult that much.
-So naturally, I like a man like this.
'And if his injuries heal faster, he'll be a huge help against the Blood Cult.'
-True enough.
"Official story? What...?"
Dang Yu-wol paused his conversation with Ye-ui at Jin Ho-gang's question.
"He was struck by the North Sea Ice Palace's ice arts."
"Uh... Is that true?"
"Why don't we know?"
"Only those in the know do."
-It's natural the current Tang Clan wouldn't know.
'They could barely handle what was right in front of them.'
Dang Yu-wol casually pocketed the request slip.
"The herbs he wants are all strong in yang energy anyway."
"Is that... strange?"
"Treating injuries from powerful yin ice arts with yang herbs is basic."
"Aha... I see."
'But his injuries can't be fully healed with just this.'
-Exactly.
While in the Blood Cult, he researched countless things.
Not just martial arts, but medicine, poisons, and illnesses too.
So healing this man's wounds was no challenge.
"Let's go see him first."
"Uh... Do you know a physician who can treat him?"
"Physician? Why would I need one?"
"Pardon?"
"The Sacheon Tang Clan is a family whose medical arts should never be underestimated."
At Dang Yu-wol's confident declaration, the two escorts exchanged glances.
'We know that, but...'
'Doesn't mean the Young Clan Head has medical knowledge, right?'
"Uh, um. So we're going straight to O Manor?"
"No. First, gather evidence on Gang Il-deok."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After finding some evidence of Gang Il-deok's corruption.
Dang Yu-wol, Yang Jin, and Jin Ho-gang arrived at O Manor.
"Y-Young master."
"Is this really okay?"
"You two are great otherwise, but too cowardly."
Unlike the anxious pair, Dang Yu-wol remained impassive.
He calmly knocked on O Manor's gate.
"Who is it?"
The door opened, revealing burly men.
-Peak realm at minimum.
'A northern army famed general would have only the strongest as guards.'
Chilling glares stabbed at them, promising no mercy to any fool causing trouble.
The two shrank under those gazes.
Of course, Dang Yu-wol was different.
"I am Dang Yu-wol of the Sacheon Tang Clan."
"Dang Yu-wol of the Sacheon Tang Clan...? Ah. That wast... No. What brings you here?"
"I understand the general recently requested our escort agency."
"Hm? Ah, yes. But that request was assigned to Gilsang Escort Agency."
"That place... run by a lay disciple of the Ami Sect, right? You know?"
The guards spoke in wary tones.
Dang Yu-wol remained composed regardless.
"What I have to say isn't just about the escort matter."
"Hmph. And?"
"May I examine the general's injuries?"
"...I don't know where you heard that."
Their wariness intensified.
The blatant disdain in their eyes grew stronger too.
"Even the Divine Physician Sect said it would take five years of rest to heal."
"You. Know about the Divine Physician Sect?"
"The sect founded by the Divine Physician, where countless healers gathered."
"Right. A place amassed with all medical knowledge. And you think you can heal him?"
This from Dang Yu-wol, known as a wastrel until recently?
They didn't voice the latter part.
But everyone could guess what they thought.
"The general's internal injuries aren't simple ones."
"What?"
"Everything in the world has poison. In water, in fire, and..."
Slowly, he peered inside the gate.
In one corner of the garden stood an ashen-faced old man, leaning weakly.
"In ice as well."
At those words, the old man's face hardened.