Chapter 412

“When you think of a Seonbang, you usually picture a bunch of folks into shipbuilding, high-interest loans, shady trades that say they’re legitimate, and those loudmouthed pirates bragging about their latest heists.”

But the Haegung Daeseon is the most prestigious Seonbang in Gwangju.

While the two gatekeepers are rolling around spitting out foam, Qing gazes up at the sign of Haegung Daeseon.

The sign is the face of the organization and its pride.

Members of the Gwangju Seonbang are both partners and rivals, engaging in a subtle battle of pride among several well-off folks.

One result of this is a flashy sign that could hang in any palace.

They invited a famous calligrapher to do the writing, and the frame was crafted from top-notch materials, perfect to pass down through generations.

For that reason, disaster has befallen the warriors of Haegung Daeseon.

Thud! A sword sinks into the sign.

It’s hard to pull a sword out of wood, so as Qing pushes the four characters of Haegung Daeseon forward with force—

Several warriors suddenly tumble down as if a massive wall has crashed into them.

A heavy hammer strikes down on one side of a pelvic region.

Crack.

Half of a pelvic bone crumbles beneath the impact.

If I’m lucky, I get a couple of months more to live.

Even if I survive, I’ll have to live forever with a droopy backside.

Maybe sensing that fate, a chilling scream erupts that sends shivers down the spine.

But that doesn’t matter.

The hammer rises up again.

Then it hesitates.

A dark stain spreads rapidly from a warrior’s groin as he desperately flails to retreat.

Qing’s face contorts in clear disdain.

The hammer crushes another warrior’s shoulder as the straight edge of the sign embeds itself deeply into the ground like a general.

Two calves freed from the oppression of the knees.

The severed body parts enjoy their newfound freedom as they roll on the ground.

“Throw the net, throw the net!”

Qing flinches, then clicks his tongue at the warriors rushing towards him with net bundles in their arms.

As if they think a fishing net will work on the ground, but of course, it won’t

The net hasn’t even gotten close to Qing and is flopping helplessly on the ground, entangled with suffering warriors, only making things worse.

Rushing to tackle the intruder, this is the outcome.

At that moment, the sorrow and fury of losing a meal companion is overshadowed by fear of an unidentified master and their henchmen.

The moment fear eclipses courage is when people start to flee.

Yet amid the chaotic rush to save oneself, there was still a warrior labeled the bodyguard with some guts.

“I will hold them off! You escape!”

Too much guts, really.

In the blink of an eye, the bodyguard was sent flying.

Told to run, and he really didn’t hesitate for a moment before crashing into the back of the Seonbang lord and tumbling the two into one heap.

Truly a tear-jerking loyalty.

Even among that chaos, the bodyguard somehow shielded the lord with his body.

Qing absentmindedly kicks the covering off.

The bodyguard, who just had his belly kicked, shivers and promptly starts spitting blood, but evidently, the lord’s safety was a higher priority.

“Wait! Please, spare me!”

“Hmm.”

In that moment, the lord, taking advantage of the confusion, managed to escape, only to be brought back by Gyeon Pohee, who had grabbed his hair.

Moments later.

The lord and the captain kneel side by side, rolling their eyes as they look for Qing’s approval.

It’s not like they can see anything with those veils covering their eyes, but when life’s on the line, you’ve got to at least try, right?

Qing stands with a slouch, looking down at the two.

More accurately, he’s looking at the pain they’ve inflicted.

It’s enough misdeed that they don’t need any hesitation before being sentenced to death.

“Someone has to die here.”

At Qing’s sudden words, both shoulders of the two jump up in surprise.

“The lord? What reason do I have to spare you? Convince me.”

“That’s—”

The lord hurriedly opens his mouth.

But then, bang! A hammer thuds into the ground, cutting him off.

“Captain? You need to explain why the lord shouldn’t die. Convince me to spare his life. Why? One of you has to die, got it?”

“Y-yes!”

“Now then, let’s get started. How about the lord first? Why should you live?”

“If I’m gone, the fishermen in Gwangju will starve immediately. I own one-third of the Gwangju ships—”

“No way! If this guy dies, those won’t be owned by anyone, right? It’s actually because of this jerk that the Gwangju fishermen are broke!”

The cost of renting a ship isn’t cheap.

Plus, in Qing’s hometown slang, it’s a pay-up-front-and-pay-more-later deal, which means fishermen are always in debt.

So, they’re constantly scraping by.

It’s all about catching fish anyway.

When in need, they can just go for seafood.

This is how they kick the ladder out from under the hardworking folks in the Central Plain.

A fisherman dreams of saving bits and pieces to one day get their own boat, but when stuck with renting, how are they supposed to trade and make a living?

So even when they load their boats full of fish, all they net is coins.

That’s why the wealthy shipowners employ thugs to beat up rebellious fishermen.

It’s way more pleasing to pay off some scum to deal with it than actually giving money to the fishermen.

“Honestly, I’d love to beat you to death, but is seeking profit really a crime deserving of death?”

This causes the lord’s expression to lighten.

Yet the captain urgently chimes in.

“That’s not all! They deliberately chip the boats to get insurance claims, and then burn down useless boats demanding payment!”

“You, you scoundrel!”

“You know how many I’ve sold? Over fifty vulnerable families sold off to that shady Sapa crew!”

“I didn’t do it alone! Who gave the money to hire the thugs?”

“Damn it, if you say no, what will happen? They’ll throw me to the sea!”

With death looming over them, the two bicker, each blaming the other for their misdeeds.

The more the captain exposes the lord’s wrongdoing, the angrier the lord becomes.

“You think I wouldn’t know who got the cut? I let my captain off the hook, and now you repay me with a knife in my back?”

As a flood of criminal deeds spills out unexpectedly, piling higher and higher.

I hear there were some good-hearted ship owners back when Zhang Jia was still standing strong.

But after the Gwangju Seonbang rose to prominence, mysterious attacks and accidents became common, leaving a trail of grief.

And loose in this chaos is one of the culprits sitting pretty.

“I don’t get it. Why is a bad person really bad? Doesn’t this mean they have to be killed?”

As usual, the good are good, and the bad are bad.

Especially those from the Sapa sect have no chance of getting it right.

Did they even become the Sapa because they were already rotten, or did they become rotten because they became the Sapa?

Qing lifts the sign.

And the lord immediately prostrates himself.

“P-please spare me! If you let me live, I’ll be good from now on!”

Qing’s movement abruptly halts.

Not a single twitch, like someone who forgot how to breathe, frozen still like a guardian before an offering.

He probably didn’t mean it, but what if he did?

If he truly repents and turns good, would he really become a virtuous person from now on?

That’s when it happens.

“Die!”

The captain rushes in with a dagger pulled from his robe.

Thud. The sound of flesh parting strikes isn’t one to be heard but one to be seen.

The lord looks down at the knife piercing his own belly with trembling eyes.

“Y-you…!”

“For profit!”

The captain tries to pull out the dagger, but the lord’s will to survive clings tightly onto it.

In retaliation, the captain starts swinging his fists.

Mounting on top, he rains down blows on the face.

Thud, thud, as his fists pound so hard they could break apart, the heavy sounds mix with wheezing breaths, like a scream from the captain.

“Die! Just die!”

Then at some point, the captain’s misdeeds drop like a meteor, switching his hits from three hundred to a staggering two hundred ninety-eight, with every number flipping in an instant.

A dramatic turnaround, what’s going on?

For reasons unknown, I burst out laughing.

Not just a chuckle but an uncontrollable roar of laughter.

I’m laughing so hard that—oh my! Where the heck does such a fantastic scene come from? Is this part of an ancient relic? Thanks to that, I’m literally dying of laughter! Are you the joke emperor of the Central Plain? A perfect jester, without a doubt! Give me back my lost bellybutton, please! I can’t breathe, this is a killer joke! Please spare my life!

Qing’s steel-like abs ache, and tears brim in his eyes, blurring his vision.

His clear laughter rings out, drowning out the moans of the warriors around him.

The captain, now terrified, stumbles back.

Before he knows it, his back hits the wall, trembling like a leaf, unable to hide his fear in his eyes.

“Haah. Yeah. Quite impressive, ugh, cough.”

It’s practically at the level of sobbing instead of laughing, yet I’m left wheezing with laughter.

Gyeon Pohee doesn’t hide her concern.

“Uncle? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I feel lighter somehow.”

It’d be easy to just kill the guy who deserves it without overthinking it.

Qing’s eyes swirl with a gruesome hue, twirling like a comet before exploding into a dazzling display, sparkling across his gaze.

A bright winter day, a wicked grin glimmers beneath the cheerful sky.

“They say laughter brings fortune; no wonder if you’re serious and acting like a philosopher, you’re bound to burrow into the ground.”

“Who’s burrowing? Planning to escape?”

Gyeon Pohee looks around, puzzled, unable to find anyone digging a hole.

Qing casually hooks her with his elbow while pulling her close, his long white fingers slipping through with ease.

Dare I say, using the stealth technique Mugeong Shinsu, it’s a speedy invasion of the heart!

Indeed, the chest game is the best.

Not mine, just everyone else’s.

“Kyaah, that tickles.”

Gyeon Pohee, who doesn’t quite fit her enchanting looks, giggles like a child, twisting away.

Ignoring that, with a woman at his side, Qing speaks to the captain in a sweet tone.

“Captain? Quite an impressive performance. But did I say one of you gets to live, or did I say both?”

The captain looks utterly horrified, fretting like the sky is falling.

“Th-that wasn’t the agreement—”

“Whoa there. You have to let me finish my sentences.”

Qing cuts him off mid-sentence, unable to hold back his smirk.

“I’ve been feeling a bit gloomy lately, but thanks to you, I had some fun today. You’ve made a wonderful villain for me! My score? Ninety-six! Congratulations, you’ve passed!”

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Thanks for what? You’ve done good deeds, so it’s time for rewards! Don’t forget this moment and continue beating down more bad guys!”

“Yes, yes!”

“But you’ll need to scram fast. No time to pack your stuff? If I see you again, you’re dead, got it? Promise?”

“Yes! I’ll leave right away!”

“Alright then, get lost.”

With that, the captain scrambles away, the knees he’d been bowing on now propelling his escape.

“Oh, wait. Uncle? Where’s that guy? The one guiding us. Hmm, I didn’t catch his name, but I’m not overly curious.”

“That guy? I left him around here somewhere…”

Qing turns his gaze towards Gyeon Pohee.

But what unfolds before them are groaning patients writhing in pain, all tangled in fishing nets.

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