CHAPTER 381: DEATH BLADE, RECTIFICATION GANG (2)

Pale Blood Hand was also a wandering martial artist who had drifted around here and there.

He clearly understood how valuable the precious metals he had brought were.

There were pearls thicker than a thumbnail and plenty of necklaces made of pure gold.

In the wooden box below, silver ingots were packed tightly, and there were more than twenty gold ingots as well.

His whole body ached from carrying them in a coffin across the Great Desert, but his heart was not troubled.

Rather, he was simply happy.

How he came to obtain such treasures was nothing special.

Pale Blood Hand and those wandering martial artists raided a place called Jimul County.

Originally, it was absurd for a few wandering martial artists to raid an entire county.

Since the warriors of the Demon Surge Thousand Resolves Division had already swept through once, they intended to steal only the small change left by the villagers.

Although the largest landlord’s house in Jimul-hyeon had already been completely looted by the Demon Surge Thousand Resolves Division, they searched just in case.

There, they discovered a secret underground chamber.

The foolish landlord had hidden underground and died clutching his treasures.

It was a stroke of sudden fortune.

He thought that finally, sunlight was shining on his miserable life.

That was true only until they were caught by these sharks of the Rectification Gang.

“We need to have a deeper conversation.”

The Sixteenth Division Leader, Jo Geuk-yeong, grinned widely.

His eyes gleamed with greed.

There was no group more obsessed with wealth than the Rectification Gang.

Moreover, Jo Geuk-yeong was a vicious man who ran private loans as a side business.

Naturally, he drew his Ghost King Piercer.

The other warriors of the Rectification Gang were the same.

‘Damn it! Why, why, why of all people!’

The treasures that Pale Blood Hand and his brothers had laboriously transported would be easily robbed by them.

No, robbery? It wouldn’t end with just taking the money.

They were the type to leave no loose ends.

It was obvious as the Rectification Gang warriors each grabbed their weapons following Jo Geuk-yeong.

At that moment, an inappropriate laughter was heard.

“Kuhihihihit. Kruh…”

Trembling, Pale Blood Hand turned his head to look at Soul Hunting Hound.

The guy was holding the spilled gold pieces in his hands, sniffing them.

He said the stinkiest smell in the world is that of gold; yet he was drooling as if intoxicated.

A drop of saliva stretched from Soul Hunting Hound’s wrinkled lips.

That drop fell right onto the gold necklace Pale Blood Hand had been eyeing.

He had planned to wear that without selling it…

It was the moment Pale Blood Hand lost his reason in anger and fear.

“You, damn bastard!”

He lunged at Soul Hunting Hound, who had his head down.

The dagger he drew like a mad dog plunged repeatedly into Soul Hunting Hound’s lower abdomen.

Though Soul Hunting Hound was several levels above Pale Blood Hand in martial arts, that didn’t mean the knife wouldn’t penetrate.

In an instant, Soul Hunting Hound waved his hands to defend.

Thud—

Soul Hunting Hound’s finger stabbed Pale Blood Hand’s eye, but that was all.

“Ugh, gag!”

Pale Blood Hand strangled Soul Hunting Hound from behind.

The dagger in his right hand was still embedded in the guy’s lower abdomen.

“You bastards! Back off!”

The resisting Soul Hunting Hound lost strength and foamed at the mouth.

“If you touch my stuff, I’ll kill this bastard!”

Pale Blood Hand’s brothers were startled but each drew their weapons.

Soul Hunting Hound, who had been giggling moments ago, now sounded like he was dying.

“Kkuuk, sa, save me…!”

However, the Rectification Gang warriors did not sheath their weapons.

Jo Geuk-yeong spoke with an annoyed expression.

“Hey brother, we never said we’d take your stuff, so why the overreaction?”

“Shut up! Do you think I don’t know you guys!”

Pale Blood Hand was bleeding profusely from his right eye, stabbed by Soul Hunting Hound.

“Leave while I’m speaking nicely. Just leave us alone and go your way!”

Though it was a sudden hostage situation, Jo Geuk-yeong didn’t even blink.

“No, how can we just leave when brother is holding our comrade like that? The Rectification Gang’s loyalty isn’t that shallow.”

“Damn it…”

Pale Blood Hand spat curses while shedding tears of blood.

The Rectification Gang warriors chuckled.

They didn’t even care that Soul Hunting Hound was their deputy division leader.

“Put down your knives first. Huh? Let’s settle this nicely, I’ll give you half.”

Jo Geuk-yeong and the Rectification Gang warriors slowly approached Pale Blood Hand.

When Pale Blood Hand pressed the dagger, Soul Hunting Hound howled in pain, but Jo Geuk-yeong did not stop.

“If you keep this up, even if I want to help, I can’t.”

Jo Geuk-yeong stopped exactly five steps away.

Pale Blood Hand met Jo Geuk-yeong’s gaze.

In a trembling voice, Pale Blood Hand said.

“D-do you think… I’m an idiot?”

Even if he released Soul Hunting Hound, the Rectification Gang wouldn’t spare him.

Jo Geuk-yeong smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Yes.”

And at that moment, Soul Hunting Hound’s body trembled.

His pants were soaked yellow.

His life ended as excrement spilled out.

Pale Blood Hand trembled but held Soul Hunting Hound’s limp neck.

“Well, now I can’t help you anymore.”

Jo Geuk-yeong said that and looked around.

They had gained a very lucrative income.

Moreover, the owners were none other than wandering martial artists, the lowest of the low in Sky Shattering Island.

No one cared about the lives of wandering martial artists.

There would be no problem with cleanup, but…

Jo Geuk-yeong’s gaze stopped at the bound civilians.

The wandering martial artists had kidnapped them under orders from the higher ups of High Spirit Palace.

Besides, there would be records left, so it was a bit uneasy to completely erase them…

In Jo Geuk-yeong’s eyes, he saw Death Blade with his arms crossed.

Death Blade could be called a trusted subordinate. So unlike other wandering martial artists, he had a carefree expression.

Jo Geuk-yeong smiled slyly and looked at Death Blade.

-Brother, please take care of the cleanup.

Death Blade, that is, Yi-gang, heard that message.

To Yi-gang, the current situation was simply absurd.

The wandering martial artist Pale Blood Hand was carrying a lot of gold, and the Rectification Gang warriors noticed it.

And as soon as that happened, the words were ‘Please take care of the cleanup.’

Was that interpreted arbitrarily?

Jo Geuk-yeong signaled to his subordinates.

His subordinates instantly struck the necks of the trembling civilians, knocking them unconscious.

Gal Dong-tak was the same.

Of course, someone like Gal Dong-tak wouldn’t faint just from a blow to the back of the neck.

Even though he had lost a lot of weight recently.

“…Ugh!”

Fortunately, Gal Dong-tak, who met Yi-gang’s eyes, fell down albeit a beat late.

The Rectification Gang warrior alternated his gaze between his hand blade and the back of Gal Dong-tak’s head.

Yi-gang instinctively knew what Jo Geuk-yeong was about to do.

Indeed, Yi-gang’s intuition was correct.

Jo Geuk-yeong swiftly stabbed with his Ghost King Piercer.

Pook—

He pierced through the dead Soul Hunting Hound’s body and stabbed Pale Blood Hand behind him.

“You bastard, so bothersome.”

Pale Blood Hand opened his venomous eyes wide, then with a cracking sound, fell backward.

Did Pale Blood Hand have any influence? The wandering martial artists who served him in formation went berserk and charged wildly.

“YOU BASTAAAARD!”

But this time, the Rectification Gang warriors did not stand still.

They drew their weapons and quickly slaughtered the wandering martial artists.

They were not the only ones enraged.

Drunk Sword raised both hands as if to show he had no intention to resist.

“I, I didn’t see anything… ugh!”

But the Rectification Gang warriors did not distinguish other wandering martial artists.

By water or land, the wandering martial artists were no match for the Sixteenth Division of the Rectification Gang.

There were some who resisted.

“Kuaaak!”

Only screams and bloodshed filled the air.

Those with quick wits began to flee swiftly.

One wandering martial artist ran past beside Yi-gang.

He clearly intended to hide in the dense forest.

However, among the Rectification Gang warriors, there was one skilled in throwing knives.

The thrown throwing knife pierced directly into the spine.

The wandering martial artist fell with a single scream.

Yi-gang glanced at the corpse of the dying wandering martial artist.

It was clear the Rectification Gang warriors did not consider wandering martial artists as comrades.

This was more of a massacre than a fight.

「Tsk tsk… such cruel people.」

Zhang Sanfeng was also a martial artist, so he wouldn’t be speaking just from seeing limbs being severed.

He was talking about murder and silencing without regard for comrades or anything.

The Heavenly Demon was silent.

But he too seemed to be watching the current situation with a displeased expression.

Thud—

One last wandering martial artist remained, collapsing before Yi-gang with his chest split open.

The warm blood gushed out and soaked Yi-gang’s shoes.

Yi-gang stared at it blankly.

The Rectification Gang warriors, seemingly unmoved by the massacre, rushed toward the precious metals.

“Wow! How much is this!”

“Division Leader! Come and see!”

Jo Geuk-yeong also slicked back his hair stylishly and said.

“You guys dig the ground and bury the bodies. Hehe, this is a blessing in disguise. There’s no need to go all the way to the Central Plains to fight.”

A greedy smile appeared on his lips.

The Rectification Gang warriors, as if accustomed, quickly dug a pit.

After throwing all the wandering martial artists’ bodies into one pit, they assessed the value of the precious metals inside the coffin.

It was a huge sum worth at least a thousand nyang in gold.

Jo Geuk-yeong laughed heartily and chatted with his subordinates.

Even then, he glanced repeatedly at Yi-gang and his group.

Time passed.

Jo Geuk-yeong looked back at Yi-gang as if he had made a decision.

“Brother, let’s talk for a moment.”

Then he winked at Yi-gang.

Yi-gang did not respond.

Jo Geuk-yeong frowned.

“Why that expression? Surprised? This isn’t the first time you’ve seen something like this.”

He spun the Ghost King Piercer around with a grin.

When Yi-gang remained silent, Jo Geuk-yeong approached him directly.

His subordinates quietly surrounded Yi-gang’s group.

“Originally, I wanted to ask you for a favor, brother. The ones who were dragged here need to be dealt with don’t they? You should get some compensation too.”

That was why they hadn’t killed them.

“But I’ve changed my mind. With this amount, even if we give the Gang Leader a third, there won’t be a need to be conscripted.”

He tapped Yi-gang’s shoulder with the Ghost King Piercer and babbled.

“Sorry, brother. The fewer witnesses to this kind of thing, the better.”

In other words, he had to die.

Just as Jo Geuk-yeong was about to say that, he felt a sense of foreboding.

Death Blade’s expression was calm, seemingly unmoved.

The Death Blade Jo Geuk-yeong knew looked rough but was cowardly.

He should have at least been flustered or begged for mercy.

“…So?”

But the voice from Death Blade’s mouth was chilling.

It was as if he had no sense of danger at all.

“What… did you say?”

“Finish your sentence.”

Jo Geuk-yeong felt both anger and unease at that strange confidence.

So he immediately thrust the Ghost King Piercer.

Using his specialty, a surprise attack, aiming to pierce the neck precisely.

Clang!

But his decisive strike was blocked in midair.

What happened was that the sharp tip of the Ghost King Piercer was stopped by Death Blade’s sword.

The tips of the swords met exactly.

At that amazing skill, Jo Geuk-yeong forgot that Death Blade was a blade wielder, and not just a mere swordsman.

It was swordsmanship that even top-class swordsmen would find hard to display.

For Jo Geuk-yeong, it was an unfathomable skill.

From Death Blade’s mouth came a voice Jo Geuk-yeong had never heard.

“Yeah, I’m tired of playing this act.”

Feeling fear, Jo Geuk-yeong uttered his last words.

“Take this!”

Yi-gang struck Jo Geuk-yeong’s neck.

Right after, the warriors of the Rectification Gang’s Sixteenth Division charged at Yi-gang’s group.

Go Yo-ja and Dam Hyeon also drew their weapons as if waiting for this moment and attacked.

“Now!”

“Hehe.”

The Rectification Gang warriors were naturally no match.

Even faster than how they dealt with the wandering martial artists, the Sixteenth Division was annihilated.