Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Chapter 40. Pa Jin-seong

When Lee Byeok, Eon Mi-hee, and Gongson Su stepped out onto the street outside the inn, the place was already in a state of chaos.

Broken debris and burly men groaning on the ground. And in the center stood a single figure, presumed to be the cause of this commotion.

A shabby man with disheveled hair was gleefully chugging a bottle of liquor. His excessively flushed face seemed to indicate he was already quite drunk.

Suddenly, the man looked around. He started to laugh as if he was quite satisfied with the scene he had created.

“Kehehehe! So… shibal! I just wanted to have a drink, so why, why are you giving me shit? Hic, I said I’ll pay you back later! Ang?! You dare to ignore me?! Huh?! Shiiibal!! Shibal!!”

After letting out a crazed laugh, the man suddenly started to get angry.

The situation could be roughly guessed.

If left alone, the fallen commoners could be further harmed. Lee Byeok took a step forward and spoke.

At that moment, whoosh, the man’s head turned towards Lee Byeok.

The face seen through his disheveled hair still had traces of a boy.

It seemed like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember.

“…Who the hell are you, you bastard!!!”

The next moment, the man charged.

He kicked off the ground and flew towards Lee Byeok. For a drunkard, his movements were quite agile.

“Ah, I’ll handle it.”

Just then, Gongson Su stepped forward.

Flick, she flicked her finger. From between her fingers, an iron coin flew towards the drunkard.

Thunk, it lodged in the drunkard’s shoulder.

The drunkard fell to the ground. But the next moment, he bounced back like lightning and flew in again.

“T-this… shibal! You think you know some martial arts?! You pathetic bastards, do you know who I am?!”

The man drew his sword.

He charged straight towards Gongson Su. The sword the man drew was unusually held in his left hand.

Only then did Eon Mi-hee, who had noticed the man's identity, shout.

The prodigy of the Hainan Sword Sect, Pa Jin-seong.

He, who had previously stepped onto the Evil Faction Alliance’s dueling stage carrying the expectations of the Hainan Sword Sect but was defeated by Maeng U-gang, was in this place.

Whoosh, Gongson Su’s body shot out like a shadow.

In that fleeting moment, Lee Byeok confirmed daggers slipping out from both of her sleeves.

A pair of daggers crossed and blocked Pa Jin-seong’s sword strike.

“It seems the young master needs a small lesson. About what happens when you carelessly draw your sword while drunk.”

As if he hadn't expected his attack to be blocked, Pa Jin-seong let out a dumbfounded sound.

Taking advantage of that opening, Gongson Su’s knee shot upwards.

It exploded right between Pa Jin-seong’s legs.

For a moment, Lee Byeok looked away.

Pa Jin-seong groaned.

Clatter, his sword fell to the ground.

“Keuk, ak, eok, aak…”

Pa Jin-seong’s figure, who had been staggering for a few steps while clutching his stomach with both hands, soon crumbled like a sandcastle.

He placed both hands on the ground and began to vomit. A fight was already impossible. However.

On the back of his head, Gongson Su’s merciless blow landed.

No, from the fact that she had struck with the end of the hilt and not the blade of the dagger, it seemed a sliver of mercy remained.

Splat, Pa Jin-seong buried his face in his own vomit. Fortunately, he seemed to have lost consciousness and became quiet.

The group went up to a room in the inn.

Inside the room were Lee Byeok, Eon Mi-hee, Gongson Su, and the unconscious Pa Jin-seong.

No one on the street objected to the group taking away Pa Jin-seong, who had caused a ruckus.

In this street, the name of the Evil Faction Alliance was absolute. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novęlfire.net

When Gongson Su readily paid compensation for the damages Pa Jin-seong had caused, the nearby merchants rather seemed pleased.

Gongson Su sealed the acupoints of Pa Jin-seong, who was fast asleep, oblivious to the world. She borrowed a rope and tied him up tightly.

She sat him up against the wall. And then.

She slapped Pa Jin-seong’s cheek.

Ugh, with a faint groan, Pa Jin-seong finally opened his eyes. He looked at Gongson Su with dazed eyes.

“Young Master Pa, you don’t know me?”

“W-who are you…? Ch-Chunaeng? Or Dohyang? Then is this Hainan? Where on earth am I…”

Gongson Su’s hand struck again.

Pa Jin-seong’s blurry pupils rolled around. Their color gradually became clear.

“Y-you bitch, how dare you—!”

“Nice to meet you, Young Master Pa. I’m Gongson Su of the Dark Shadow Pavilion. Why are you pretending not to know? Didn’t you call me a gloomy wench?”

Pa Jin-seong’s dazed face finally looked around. He confirmed that he himself was tied up with ropes.

He struggled, but his body was heavy.

His inner strength was not rising properly.

“W-what? What happened? You bastards, what the hell did you do to me—!”

“What do you mean what happened? You, young master, got drunk and caused a ruckus on the street, got suppressed by me, and are now tied up nicely here, what else could it be?”

As if trying to recall his memory, Pa Jin-seong’s pupils began to move busily. But just then, Gongson Su spoke again.

“Ah, and say hello. This is Young Master Lee Byeok, the Flying Dragon Squad Leader. You’ve seen him when you were at the Evil Faction Alliance, right?”

Pa Jin-seong’s body shook.

With wide eyes, he hastily looked Lee Byeok up and down.

“T-then are you that guy?! The one who defeated that bastard Maeng U-gang at the martial arts tournament…?”

The next moment, Pa Jin-seong began to twist his whole body. But his body, with its acupoints sealed and tied with ropes, could only squirm on the floor.

“Keuaaaak! You bastard! Untie this right now?! Where do you get off acting so high and mighty! How dare a thing like you look down on me?! That bastard Maeng U-gang, I wore him down and you got lucky—!”

Gongson Su grabbed Pa Jin-seong by the hair and lifted him up. Another blow was delivered to his cheek.

“Keuaaaak, shibal! How dare you!”

“I-I’ll butcher you all—!!”

Every time Pa Jin-seong tried to open his mouth, Gongson Su’s mechanical hand struck without fail.

Red palm prints were deeply engraved on Pa Jin-seong’s dark cheeks.

Limp, Pa Jin-seong went limp.

“S-stop… it hurts a lot……”

“Excuse me, Young Master Pa?”

Gongson Su spoke in a gentle voice.

“I have something I’m curious about. The great warriors of the Hainan Sword Sect must have already left for Hainan, so why were you left here alone, drinking?”

Flinch, Pa Jin-seong’s shoulders shook.

“Well, it makes sense. You were brought here as Hainan’s rising star, but you were unilaterally beaten by the Black Dragon Gang’s Maeng U-gang, whom you considered a rival, and showed the whole Evil Faction the sight of a frog struck by lightning. How could you go home with such a bleak future ahead?”

“S-shut up!! What do you know!!!”

“Well, I know roughly. The Hainan Sword Sect is a place with fierce internal competition anyway, so after showing such a disgraceful display, where would your position be left? You would have become a nobody in an instant.”

“…S-stop. Please stop!!”

“So you couldn’t bear to go to Hainan and were separated from your group, drinking alone. Then when you ran out of money, you took it out on the commoners.”

Pa Jin-seong, who had been vigorously shaking his head, let out a scream and went limp. His face turned pale as if his soul had escaped.

“Excuse me, Young Master Pa.”

But Gongson Su did not seem to have any intention of finishing yet.

“I’m sorry, but we have to be clear about public and private affairs, us. You caused a ruckus in the city, and we are in the position of having suppressed it. Still, considering our acquaintance, I’ll give you one choice.”

“I’m talking about your subsequent punishment. Do you want to be dragged to the Evil Faction Alliance as you are? Or do you want to be dragged to the government office?”

Gongson Su… is scary.

And Pa Jin-seong began to laugh. It was a laughter as if the axis of his mind had broken.

“Keke! Kekeke! Kehehehehehe! Kekehehehehehehe, keheuk! Kehehe, kehe, keoheuk! Eoheuk…”

Leaving the seemingly deranged Pa Jin-seong in the room, the three went down to the inn’s restaurant again.

They continued the meal they hadn't finished.

“Let’s take him. Orabeoni.”

“He’s a bit ugly, shabby, and annoying, but he’ll be useful. He’s one of the top prodigies in the Evil Faction anyway.”

“Actually, it’s Maeng U-gang who became strangely strong, not that that guy is weak. Of course, our Orabeoni turned even that Maeng U-gang into a mess~”

Swish, Gongson Su’s arm stealthily stretched out. But Lee Byeok, who was getting used to her surprise attacks, quickly moved his body away.

Tsk, Gongson Su lightly clicked her tongue.

Just then, Eon Mi-hee said.

“If we make him a member, isn't there no guarantee that he won't suddenly backstab us later… or abandon and sell us out?”

In any case, Pa Jin-seong was a person of the Hainan Sword Sect. As she said, he was not in a position to be trusted carelessly.

Chuckles, Gongson Su laughed.

“Well, that’s true. But if his head isn’t just for decoration, he’ll realize it himself. That fellow is also at a dead end, so for now, he has no choice but us.”

“Of course, the story could change later… but right now, we’re in a situation where we’d even borrow the hand of a passing dog, aren't we?”

Gongson Su smiled brightly.

“And if you think about it the other way around… since we’ve taken in a disciple of their sect, there’s a possibility that the Hainan Sword Sect will become somewhat friendly… Anyway, I’ll tame him from time to time, so you don’t have to worry too much, Unnie.”

The warm smile coming from her delicate impression was somehow eerie. Eon Mi-hee shivered lightly.

After finishing their meal, the group went up to the room again. In the meantime, Pa Jin-seong, who seemed to have collected his thoughts a little, was sitting silently against the wall.

As the group entered, he began to laugh.

It seemed he wanted them to talk to him.

When Lee Byeok reluctantly gave him a look, Pa Jin-seong opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“Hey, Flying Dragon Squad Leader.”

“You look younger than me. Even if you know some martial arts, what do you know about this harsh Jianghu? Ang?”

“So. If you want, this pride of Hainan, Pa Jin-seong, could join you. How about it? Well, if you want, I could take over the position of Squad Leader for you—”

Just then, Pa Jin-seong’s mouth was blocked. Gongson Su had stuffed a dumpling, which she had brought for Pa Jin-seong’s share, into it.

“Young Master Pa, stop with the nonsense and just eat. Once you’re imprisoned in the alliance or the government office, you’ll be eating dog food for a while.”

“And you need to speak correctly. What do you mean you could join us? It’s a ruined life anyway, you’re just clinging to us to somehow build up your reputation and aim for a comeback, right?”

“Mph! Mmph-mph! Mph!”

“Yeah, no~ I’m going to hand you over to the government office~”

The dumplings kept being stuffed in.

Before he could even chew and swallow, another one was stuffed in. Pa Jin-seong’s cheeks puffed up as if they would burst.

“S-stop it! That’s too much.”

Just then, as Eon Mi-hee, who could no longer watch, approached, Gongson Su, who had been stuffing dumplings, shrugged her shoulders and stepped back.

“Are you alright, Young Master? Drink some water.”

Pa Jin-seong, with a flushed face, coughed and spat out the dumplings. Eon Mi-hee put a water bottle to Pa Jin-seong’s mouth and poured it in.

Pa Jin-seong, who had been drinking water for a while, suddenly let out a bizarre scream. Gasping for breath, his bloodshot eyes turned to Eon Mi-hee.

“Th… thank you, Miss.”

Soon, tears like chicken droppings began to flow down Pa Jin-seong’s dark face.

“Hey guys… let me join you.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that~?”

“Please… I’ll work hard. Even though I couldn’t beat that bastard Maeng U-gang, I’m still pretty good with a sword. Can’t we go together? Huh…?”