Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“......I will send the list you desire to the Black Dragon Gang as soon as possible, Deputy Chief.”

“I shall look forward to it. Take care on your way back.”

Sado Myeong bowed deeply as if entranced, then vanished into the darkness beyond the window he had entered through, almost as if he were being chased.

A quiet stillness settled over the room once more.

Uncheon toyed with the teacup that had gone cold and smiled faintly.

‘I have gotten a bite. I threw the bait to the Inspectorate... Next is....’

***

The next morning, in the gang leader’s office.

SLAP—!

A large map made of rough leather was spread across the table.

It was a map that showed the terrain near Qinghai Province and the distribution of the martial world powers in detail.

“Gang Leader, as you ordered, I have organized the forces near Qinghai Province that compete with the Black Dragon Gang.”

Little Dragon began his report, pointing to various places on the map with his finger.

A subtle tension lay in his voice.

“Currently, with our Black Dragon Gang at the center, the Iron Shark Gang, which controls the waterways, is to the east. To the west is the Blood Axe Stockade, established after groups of bandits joined forces, and at the northern road, the bastards of the Seven Star Sect have coiled themselves in place. All three are on a completely different level from mere wanderers. They have fairly deep roots.”

Uncheon only looked down at the map in silence.

“Moreover, as wanderers have recently been flocking to our Black Dragon Gang like clouds, those bastards have grown wary and started sending out informants to observe our movements. If we hold a grand Inauguration Ceremony under these circumstances....”

Little Dragon gulped dryly.

“Those bastards definitely will not stay still. Those packs of jackals that have been waiting for a chance to devour us will clearly disguise themselves as congratulatory guests and pick a fight under the pretext of the Inauguration Ceremony.”

Trampling a newly rising power to break its spirit was a common instinct of the martial world.

Little Dragon’s concern was perfectly natural as the chief steward of the gang.

“Is that so? Then the timing is perfect.”

But Uncheon’s expression was calm.

“Pardon?”

“If we are to take root fully in Qinghai Province anyway, they are weeds that must be cleared out at least once, are they not? Going around to pull them out one by one would be troublesome.”

It was the boldness to treat longtime rival powers as common weeds.

And it was also a chilling declaration that he would clear them all away at once.

“Send invitations to every single force you reported without exception. Tell them that on the day of the Inauguration Ceremony, the doors of the Black Dragon Gang will be wide open, so they may come if they dare.”

Uncheon gave the order in a low voice, propping his chin on his hand as if bored.

‘Kuh...... As expected of the Gang Leader! That magnanimity of his, as if the rabble of Qinghai Province are not even worth a single punch!’

At the composed attitude Uncheon showed, Little Dragon’s shoulders filled with pride.

“As you command! I will immediately send formal invitations to every nearby gang, sect, and mountain stockade!”

Just as Little Dragon was about to turn around with great vigor.

“Ah. And to these places as well.”

Rustle, rustle.

Uncheon picked up a brush and swiftly wrote several names across a blank sheet of paper without hesitation.

When he slid over the paper as the scent of ink spread from it, Little Dragon received it respectfully with both hands.

And the moment he checked the list.

“......?!”

Little Dragon’s breath caught in his throat.

His eyes grew wide as if they might pop out at any moment, and the hand holding the paper began to tremble like an aspen leaf.

“G-Gang Leader! Wh-What is this? Are you telling me to send invitations to the places written here?!”

At Little Dragon’s horrified cry, the other instructors approached.

“What names could possibly make you cause such a fuss?”

Jin Sowol snatched the list out of Little Dragon’s hand.

But the instant Jin Sowol checked the list, her face also stiffened.

“...Th-These places are!”

“Ha ha, Gang Leader. Is this not making the game far too large?”

Even Drunken Sword Yi Mok clicked his tongue as if the liquor had vanished from him.

The names written on the paper were not common ruffians or small and medium-sized sects of Qinghai Province.

[Demonic Martial Hall]

[Ilwol Merchant Guild]

[Shadowless Killing Sect]

[Mad Wind Yayul Family]

The Ilwol Merchant Guild, with which they had decided to open trade, and the Demonic Martial Hall, Uncheon’s original affiliation, could at least be understood.

But the Shadowless Killing Sect and the Mad Wind Yayul Family?

Each was one of the core powers at the very heart of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, belonging to the Ten Sects of the Demonic Cult and the Twelve Guardian Families.

“Gang Leader... These places are on an entirely different level from the packs of jackals in Qinghai Province! They are massive powers that rule the western Central Plains after pushing back the Orthodox Faction!”

“They are... rather weighty forces to invite to the Inauguration Ceremony of a mere emerging gang on the frontier.”

Little Dragon and Jin Sowol turned pale as they tried to dissuade him.

But Uncheon set down the brush and swept his cold eyes over them.

“What is there to make a fuss over for just this much? This is not even the end.”

After all, the “Death List” that would soon be delivered through Sado Myeong from the Inspectorate was also going to arrive.

“Does the Black Dragon Gang wish to remain a backwater gang in some remote corner of the frontier?”

“......!”

“If we are going to raise the grand name of Black Dragon, then we should naturally play on a stage worthy of it.”

While everyone was struck dumb by that overwhelming spirit, the one who broke the silence was Yayul Hui.

Crack.

Her fist clenched so tightly that it turned white.

“......Uncheon. Even so, do not send one to my family.”

Her voice had lost its usual sharpness and had become bitter and dry.

Uncheon’s gaze turned toward Yayul Hui.

“Why? Is that not your main family?”

“It is. But no one will come anyway....”

Yayul Hui lowered her head deeply and gave a self-mocking smile.

“It is obvious. They will treat me as a discarded child. There is no way Father or Elder Brother would deign to attend an event held by some backwater gang. It is a waste of effort.”

Her lips trembled.

“If they hear I have entered the Black Dragon Gang as a guest retainer... they will probably think of it as a disgrace instead. I would be lucky if they did not tear up the invitation.”

The pride of the Twelve Guardian Families.

The contempt and alienation she had endured beneath that fine-sounding shell was deeply embedded in her words.

Jin Sowol and Little Dragon did not dare open their mouths about her wound.

But rather than sympathizing with her wound, Uncheon instead drove in a rebuke as cold as ice.

“Are you ashamed of the Black Dragon Gang? Or do you lack confidence in yourself?”

“......What?”

“I am not sending the invitation to borrow your name and rely on their prestige. It is the opposite.”

Uncheon looked directly into Yayul Hui’s eyes and added.

“It is a declaration that you will walk your own path even without Wind Soul Step. You are not the daughter of the Mad Wind Yayul Family. You are Yayul Hui, an instructor of the Black Dragon Gang.”

Yayul Hui’s eyes shook violently.

“I am certain that before long, your name will ride the wind and spread through the martial world.”

It was infinite trust directed toward her, and also a declaration of war against the vested powers of the Demonic Cult.

“......”

Yayul Hui stared blankly at Uncheon, then slowly loosened the fist she had clenched so tightly.

The sorrow gathered at the corners of her eyes evaporated, and in its place, fierce fighting spirit blazed up like flame.

“...Yes. You are right. I will use this chance to show my family exactly how much I am worth.”

Uncheon nodded and gestured to Little Dragon.

“If they do not come, that is fine. There is no need to concern yourself with anything beyond that. We do not have much time. Send invitations to the people written on the list immediately. The Inauguration Ceremony will be exactly fifteen days from now.”

The corners of Uncheon’s cold lips curled up with a sharp, ominous edge.

“On that day, the power structure of Qinghai Province will be reorganized.”

***

A few days later, the Black Dragon Gang’s invitations were delivered throughout Qinghai Province.

The reactions of the various forces that received them were sharply divided.

To the west of Qinghai Province, in the Blood Axe Stockade situated among rugged rocky cliffs.

In the deepest part of the blood-soaked bandits’ den, a hearty laugh burst out with a rough metallic ring.

“Kuhahahaha! The Black Dragon Gang? You mean the gang of that money-grubbing coward, Little Dragon?”

Maeng Ung, the Stockade Chief of the Blood Axe Stockade, smiled viciously as he tore into the leg meat of a beast.

Greasy oil shone on his beard.

At his feet, the red invitation sent by the Black Dragon Gang had been carelessly thrown aside and trampled.

“I do not know where that bastard rolled in from, but this new gang leader has certainly grown some guts, sending an invitation even to our Blood Axe Stockade.”

“Stockade Chief. From what I hear, they have been gathering wanderers and kicking up dust in the training yard every day. It seems they intend to build up their forces somewhat....”

At the Vice Stockade Chief’s words, Maeng Ung slammed the enormous black iron axe he was holding into the floor.

CRASH—!

The stone floor cracked like a spiderweb, and dust rose.

“Forces? He dares speak of forces after gathering a bunch of wanderer dregs? Even if a hundred rabble gathered together, they would not match one swing of my axe!”

Savage greed gleamed in Maeng Ung’s eyes.

“The weather happens to be getting colder, and our storehouses are running out of provisions. They said the doors of the Black Dragon Gang will be wide open on the day of the Inauguration Ceremony, did they not?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Perfect! There is no need to disguise ourselves as congratulatory guests. On that day, I will lead every fighting man of the Blood Axe Stockade, invade them, dye their banquet table with blood, and chew up the entire gang!”

***

At the same time.

The main family of the Mad Wind Yayul Family, one of the Twelve Guardian Families near the main headquarters of the Demonic Cult.

Inside the Great Hall, where chilly wind surged, a silence as cold as ice had fallen.

SWISH—!

A sharp streak of Saber Qi split the air and cut the red invitation in two.

The severed pieces of paper fluttered down to the floor.

“......How dare a third-rate gang from some backwater corner present an Inauguration Ceremony invitation to this family?”

Yayul Jin, the family head of the Mad Wind Yayul Family.

“For one of the bloodline of Mad Wind to mingle with backwater ruffians... It is a disgrace to the family.”

Yayul Jin clicked his tongue and spoke coldly.

The family head’s face was twisted ferociously with humiliation.

“Father... please calm yourself.”

The family’s prodigy, Yayul Cheok, the eldest son who had risen to thirty-seventh on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, tried to restrain his father in a low, subdued voice.

[Black Dragon Gang Saber Arts Instructor, Yayul Hui]

His gaze was fixed on the single line written on the paper that had been split in half.

“When she said she would enter the Demonic Martial Hall by her own will, I thought she had resolved herself to something....”

“To think she merely stayed as a guest retainer of some small and medium-sized gang. Truly pathetic.”

“Tsk... Family Head. It might have been better to marry her off to a suitable family earlier.”

The vassals gossiped and mocked Yayul Hui.

She was already being treated as a cast-off child by the family.

‘Hui! What in the world are you thinking...? It would not have been enough even if you had hidden yourself away, so why would you send an invitation and provoke Father’s anger?’

Yayul Cheok was inwardly worried for his younger sister’s safety, and his insides burned with anxiety.

She was his younger sister, one who had never let go of the saber even amid the family’s harsh atmosphere.

The fact that such a sister had become an instructor of some backwater gang filled him with sorrow and affection, but before the family’s strict laws, he had to hide those feelings completely.

“To think she would send an invitation as if it were something to boast about while merely playing the instructor of a third-rate gang... It seems I pampered my daughter too much.”

Killing intent seeped through Family Head Yayul Jin’s teeth.

“Summon the Wind Demon Corps! Go there, cut off the head of the bastard called the Black Dragon Gang Leader, and drag Yayul Hui back even if you have to break her legs!”

At the family head’s thunderous command, the air of the Great Hall froze.

Just as Yayul Cheok was about to urgently speak up to protect his younger sister.

“Father! Please wait! I will go!”

It was a youthful yet resolute voice.

It was Yayul Hyeon, Yayul Hui’s younger brother and the youngest person attending the family meeting.

“Hyeon, this is not a matter for you to step forward in.”

Yayul Cheok tried to stop him, but Yayul Hyeon clenched both fists and knelt before the family head.

“To punish a mere third-rate gang from some backwater corner, sending the family’s elites, the Wind Demon Corps, or even Elder Brother, would only elevate their status! We must show them that I alone, someone who has not yet even stepped into the martial world, am more than enough for them!”

Outwardly, he was putting forward the pride of the family, but another emotion was hidden in Yayul Hyeon’s eyes.

‘Elder Sister... what in the world are you doing outside? I miss you, Elder Sister.’

After saying she would enter the Demonic Martial Hall and leaving home, his elder sister had not even sent news, making him worry endlessly.

He could not let the Wind Demon Corps set out and drag his elder sister back mercilessly.

He had stepped forward with a plausible justification because he wanted to go in person and bring his elder sister back safely.

“Hmm....”

Family Head Yayul Jin looked at the bold gaze of his youngest son, who was bristling with spirit, and soon snorted as he gathered in his anger.

“...Hyeon, your words have merit. Very well. You shall go personally and bring Hui back.”

“I will obey your command, Father!”

When Yayul Hyeon answered powerfully, Yayul Cheok, standing beside him, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Mm... Hyeon cares deeply for Hui. If he goes, at least Hui will not be hurt.’

The siblings of the Yayul Family were worrying about their sister in their own ways.

Without even imagining how Yayul Hui might have changed after entering the Demonic Martial Hall and passing through the Hidden Demon Cave, the Inner Archive, and the Black Dragon Gang.

***

The gang leader’s office of the Black Dragon Gang.

A letter Sado Myeong had secretly sent through a Carrier Pigeon lay on Uncheon’s desk.

“......It has arrived.”

The list of people the Inspectorate secretly wished to execute.

It was the Death List.

As Uncheon scanned down the list, a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.