Chapter 467

In Qing’s hometown, there’s a saying: a single loach can muddy an entire puddle.

In other words, it only takes one loach to stir up trouble in a single puddle.

Of course, if the puddle is firmly packed with solid rock or gravel, no matter how much the loach wriggles, it won’t be able to stir anything up.

For a loach to muddle the water, there must first be dirty stuff thickly settled at the bottom.

So, is the Sapa just Sapa for no reason?

Those sneaky folks are always keeping an eye on each other while scheming to one-up their own buddies.

And in a mountain full of such Sapa, they’re stirring up trouble quite nicely?

The warrior from Gang Pae-cheon sharpens his gaze.

Once someone else’s hand is embedded in your chest, whether you want to glare or not, it becomes automatic.

“Wha—what is this…?”

“Why, you ask? Heh heh. Are you really that clueless?”

Jin Gi-chung, the honor of Jeolnak-seong, withdraws his hand, fresh heart gripped tightly.

And then, he crushes it right before everyone’s eyes.

One pair of hidden eyes observes.

It’s a disciple of Gang Pae-cheon.

He is definitely not hiding out of fear of that schemer, Jun Gi-chung.

Someone has to survive!

Someone has to inform the base about the vile attack from those scoundrels of Jeolnak-seong.

It was an outright assault led by the leader of Jeolnak-seong!

And if anyone is to survive, it has to be him!

There’s no need to ponder why those Jeolnak-seong folks are causing such havoc.

Originally, the Sado Ten Great Stars refers to both the Five Great Heavens and the Five Great Sects.

In orthodox terms, they align with the Five Great Families and the Ten Great Families.

In other words, the five sects with strong influence are called the Five Great Heavens, while the less influential five sects are the Five Great Sects, collectively dubbed the Ten Great Stars.

Naturally, the Five Great Sects would yearn to overshadow the Five Great Heavens, wishing to skip the “sect” title and slap on “heaven” instead.

So, isn’t the attack from the Blood Sect aimed at erasing the severely weakened Gang Pae-cheon’s secret exploration team?

The Gang Pae-cheon warrior holds his breath even deeper.

He absolutely mustn’t get caught.

To inform of this conspiracy and prepare, he has a duty to engrave the faces of the brothers falling in battle into his memory.

He’s definitely not cowering in fear.

If it was up to him, he’d rush out brandishing his sword and slice down those vile scoundrels, sacrificing his life gloriously!

But alas, he has to report back, so he must hold this painfully ripped heart of his.

Ugh, I see!

Thus, with a heart torn by sorrow, this disciple of Gang Pae-cheon narrowly escapes with his life.

After the raiders from Jeolnak-seong disappeared, he stayed low for over half a period before rushing back to inform the main base.

“What’s going on? The Jeolnak-seong folks!? Why?”

“Are they trying to take us out now…?”

*Hmph!*

Elder Gang Pae-cheon lets out a groan of despair.

Well, it makes sense.

After creating such a ruckus throughout the city, it’s no wonder the rumor of an attack from the Blood Sect spread.

He doesn’t suspect any misunderstanding or stake-out.

It’s just that the ones who can charge in, have charged in, finally revealing their true colors.

A misunderstanding or an accusation wouldn’t change that.

After all, the brothers of Gang Pae-cheon have ruthlessly been killed; there’s no point in conversing with foes.

Consequently, the two groups shelve their treasure plans and start quietly tearing into each other instead.

Interestingly, the bad guys wander around in packs.

Well, they’re hardly the type to miss out on a good killing spree, right?

This means their grudges grow ever deeper.

One may be weak, but many are strong.

That’s why these bad guys stick together like brothers.

They call each other by different names depending on the locality, numbers, and nature of their crimes.

The lowest profile would be the lackeys.

For instance, those who are caught stealing alcohol or harassing women would refer to themselves along the lines of Jang An Sam Gyeon, which entails the likes of petty misdemeanors such as skipping out on the bar tab, being a total nuisance, and attacking old men.

Surprisingly, a villain’s pride is their crimes.

So, the bottom-of-the-barrel bad guys don’t call themselves lackeys.

They know too well they lack the backbone to call themselves that; it’s like a twisted form of humility.

However, if they go on to commit a bit more nefarious acts, people start considering them as fellow ruffians, allowing an upgrade to their titles.

~~Those marked as “Hyeong” are categorized as heinous criminals.

~~Those dubbed “Sal” are labeled serial killers.

So then, these villains beam with pride, claiming, “We’re Jang An Sam Hyeong! Isn’t that cool?”

Despite their actual horrid reputation serving as a banner warning against engaging with them.

When Qing met several of these types in No Mountain, he saw that they were nothing short of savage beasts, who didn’t even need a human capability test.

“I’m just looking for Cornus Fruit… My child has a fever…”

That guy was selling Cornus Fruit like it was going out of style.

But according to the medical texts, Cornus Fruit doesn’t actually have any fever-reducing properties.

According to the Huang Di Nei Jing and the Ben Cao Gang Mu, Cornus Fruit is said to enhance male vitality.

It does not combat fever.

So why on earth are they reaching for Cornus Fruit when the child is burning up with fever?

Are they going to pop out another kid since this one is already a dud?

The root answer? Qing’s heritage ties back to the Han people.

Somehow, the notion of Cornus Fruit is intertwined with the image of a father braving through a snowy night to gather it for his feverish child, a testament of profound paternal love.

Of course, one can’t understand why the father would go through such hardship for a feverish son, returning only with a natural vitality booster instead.

“We are the esteemed Yeogang Yuksal, heh heh.”

Yeogang Yuksal? What sort of group is that?

The expression of Qing shifts from pity to surprise.

“Oh. Is that so?”

Qing snaps his fingers.

Then, there’s a rustle.

Cheon Yu-hak, dressed in Jeolnak-seong attire, appears behind them, throwing the two into a trap.

Qing had a brilliant insight that a variety of means were essential to cause discord.

He was only clever when it came to messing with others.

“Who are you!? Ugh, Jeolnak-seong! Why are the esteemed heroes from Jeolnak-seong here…?”

Qing found it quite wondrous.

Do the ruffians share an understanding among themselves?

Remarkably, they can recognize those outfits.

Well, I suppose I could instantly identify the robe of the Gu Daemoon Sect if I saw it too.

“How dare you interrupt the ruckus of Jeolnak-seong! You’ll pay with your life for your crimes!”

Cheon Yu-hak barks in a gruff tone.

Yeogang Yuksal argues in vain, “But we didn’t disrupt anything!”

Of course, being aggrieved means expressing oneself; that’s how recognition is given.

“We… don’t mean…”

Cheon Yu-hak’s face twists into a sly grin.

Qing found it to be a rather fitting expression.

“The best way to monopolize treasure is to eliminate your competitors, isn’t it?”

With that, Yeogang Yuksal draws his sword.

But Cheon Yu-hak simply lifts his weapon in response.

Yeogang Yuksal shrinks back in intimidation.

“W-well, we’ll just back down now, alright?”

“That won’t do. How can we let those who dared to draw blades on Jeolnak-seong off so easily? Surely, someone needs to pay with something!”

“Ugh.”

“Hmm. Since you dared to lay a finger on someone from Jeolnak-seong, it would be fitting for you to experience a bit of femininity in return. Now hand over your… assets.”

With that, Yeogang Yuksal glances nervously around.

“Um, elder? Perhaps just a finger or so?”

“Your assets.”

“Three fingers, then?”

“Your assets.”

“Uh, um… rather, I could just sacrifice a wrist instead. Please.”

“Your assets.”

It seemed to match the resoluteness of the Lee clan in a neutral country.

Meanwhile, Jin Jangmyung and Mo Yong Joo-hee were blushing furiously behind Cheon Yu-hak as they futilely tried to look away.

Qing found their blushing somewhat adorable.

Are they really shy over mere ‘assets’?

They aren’t children, after all.

Then again, since they’re small, they might as well be considered kids?

“Are you eager to become a eunuch? Attack!”

And thus commenced the desperate fight to protect their privates.

Of course, they didn’t succeed.

“Ha ha! How’s that? Feeling wronged? Upset? If you’re feeling wronged, you’re always welcome to come visit Jeolnak-seong. You girls are quite handsome, for girls, that is. *Cackles!*”

Yeogang Yuksal, now transformed into Yeogang Yuksal the Neutered.

Cheon Yu-hak spins around, chuckling softly as he walks away.

Qing follows behind; unable to display such filthy behavior, he waits on the other side for Jin Jangmyung and Mo Yong Joo-hee to join him.

Meanwhile, Yeogang Yuksal is left clenching his blood-stained lower half, gnashing his teeth.

Better to be dead than suffer this!

What unspeakable tyranny, what disgrace is this!

But here’s the surprising part: this punishment isn’t Qing’s idea!

It was Cheon Yu-hak’s concept!

Qing thought merely stripping a finger would suffice.

Then even as a ruffian, they would become insignificant, and the grudge isn’t directed towards the innocent but at those damned Jeolnak-seong folks.

But Cheon Yu-hak shook his head.

If you cut off a wrist, it would only frighten them into hiding; the retribution would end up unleashed on the innocent.

Thus, the innocent would suffer the consequence of these misfortunes.

Hence, it has to be the ultimate punishment.

Qing, not being a man, would know nothing about it (he was extremely upset, a whole lot upset), but men could never forget the grudge of their privates.

Even the great Sima Qian faced castration, humiliatingly unable to control himself.

That way, he was forever marked by a foul odor that even his closest friends found unbearable.

Thus, the horror of it all is simply unspeakable, leading to a vow of revenge that can hardly be contained.

Cheon Yu-hak, typically unrefined, was only expressing these ghastly thoughts out of immense anger.

He had seen entire villages meet their demise far too many times.

Even without witnessing, it was clear other villages faced the same fate.

Moreover, there was no one in the party who could temper this rampage.

Jin Jangmyung preferred to impersonate others to avoid attracting trouble to the Divine Maiden Sect, while Mo Yong Joo-hee was also filled with rage.

Days passed—one, two, three, four.

The stronghold of Cheolhyeonggeomcheon was attacked by Jeolnak-seong.

The outpost of Choryu Bukdo Chun was reduced to ashes by Cheolhyeonggeomcheon.

The stronghold of Gwangryongseong was hit hard by Choryu Bukdo Chun’s special team attack.

It was a never-ending cycle of grudges.

Meanwhile, the warriors of Sado Ten Great Stars continued to raid the smaller factions with fervor, pushing for competitor elimination.

On the side, swarms of eunuchs fumed and gritted their teeth toward the great sects of the Sado.

Some lurked in the mountains, secretly launching attacks to exact revenge, while others retreated, waiting for a future opportunity.

To anyone watching, it would seem the Heart Consumption Technique’s seekers spent all their time brawling instead of searching.

Indeed, they were also blending their treasure hunts into the mix.

But was there really any need to search directly?

One could just beat the others up and share their findings amongst themselves, so it was just a matter of convenience.

As a result of all this vengeance, it became easy to find corpses scattered across the mountainsides.

A veritable struggle of all against all!

If quietly traversing the ridge, one would hear the clang of weapons clashing, people shouting for vengeance, “You scoundrels of Soocheon! How dare you touch me!”

Just four evil men bring about a bloodbath across No Mountain.

It’s practically emblematic of how a single loach can muddy an entire puddle.

However, here’s the catch:

In truth, after a loach muddles up the water, it tends to clear up afterwards—such is the way of the world.

The loach’s slippery mucus clings to the floating debris, letting it settle down.

Thus, if we look at the tragedy of these villains slaying each other, it serves as nothing short of a delightful spectacle in the grand scheme of things.

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