Who came to Gangnam? (6)

“Who?”

Yachabang’s [야차방(夜叉房) – Yaksha’s Den/Dwelling] Bangju [head/leader] Jang Cheonggi [장천기(長泉琦)] asked with a bewildered expression.

“Who came to Gangnam?”

“Haenam, isn’t it?”

“Haenam? Haenam set foot in Gangnam?”

“That’s right! It’s chaos right now.”

“What…?”

Jang Cheonggi muttered with a blank expression.

“Are you saying those Haenam bastards, who couldn’t handle a sea breeze, actually came to Gangnam on their own?”

“Where did you get the idea they came on their own? Maninbang attacked Haenam, so they abandoned their base and fled to Gangnam.”

“Does that make sense?”

Even if someone is ignorant of warfare tactics, isn’t there common sense for people?

Fleeing naturally means getting away from the enemy. Who in their right mind would flee to the enemy’s base? Haenam bastards must know that Gangnam is the domain of Sapaeryeon, for crying out loud.

“Anyway, we need to move right now. Orders have come from Ho Gamyeong.”

“Orders?”

“They’ve already landed on the coast and are advancing north. Orders have been issued to all surrounding sects to prevent a single rat from escaping. It’s a mobilization order issued under the name of Maninbang.”

“Maninbang? Not Sapaeryeon?”

“…It was written as Maninbang.”

“Why? Well… anyway, that’s not important.”

Jang Cheonggi’s head jerked up.

“It seems those Haenam bastards really did come to Gangnam. I’ve never…”

“Bangju, we don’t have time for this. These orders come directly from the commander of Maninbang. If we fail to comply, who knows what kind of trouble we’ll be in…”

The mention of Ho Gameyeong made Jang Cheonggi flinch.

Among people of Guangdong, while someone like Jang Ilso might be a fearsome tyrant, for a small sect’s Bangju like Jang Cheonggi, it was a different story. Jang Ilso wouldn’t give them a second thought, but Ho Gamyeong was the one who watched over every single fly.

If they fell out of favor with Ho Gamyeong, small sect like Yachabang could disappear overnight.

“R-Right! This is no time for that! Fetch my spear! And call the others! Do you remember our assigned position?”

“They’ll inform us once we join them.”

“Right. That’ll do! What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”

“Yes, yes.”

Watching Chong Gwan urgently rushing outside, Jang Cheonggi suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

‘Haenam’s Sect Leader isn’t senile, is he?’

Of course, being a recluse didn’t guarantee immunity from illness, but even for tightly controlled Just Sects, wouldn’t it be unthinkable for them to all heed the ramblings of an old man gone senile and willingly walk into their own demise?

‘Foolish bastards.’

Jang Cheonggi shook his head in disdain.

“No matter how evil we are, even for us it would have been better to perish where we lived.”

They clearly don’t know what kind of place Gangnam is. If they had even the slightest inkling that Gangnam now is completely different from three years ago, they wouldn’t have dared such a reckless act.

Gangnam is no longer a place where one can breathe freely.

Everyone is under the watchful eyes and hands of Sapaeryeon. At least now, one cannot take a sip of water on Gangnam’s land without going through Sapaeryeon.

“A fish that crawls up to the desert will inevitably dry up and die. Especially when the hunter that approaches from the back is Doksim Nachal [독심나찰(毒心羅刹) – Poisoned Heart Rakshasa – Ho Gamyeong’s title]…”

With a deep scoff, Jang Cheonggi swiftly left the room.

❀ ❀ ❀

“So?”

Ho Gamyeong, who had disembarked from the ship and stepped onto the shore, furrowed his eyebrows ever so slightly. His gaze was fixed on the bodies of Haomun’s people sprawled gruesomely along the coast. Judging by their blackened faces, it seemed they had succumbed to poison.

“Did you mindlessly search the empty ships and end up poisoning yourselves to death?”

“…”

“Thanks to that, we’ve completely lost their trail?”

The face of Yeop Wi, still slightly pallid from the aftermath of the poisoning, flushed with embarrassment.

“…I didn’t expect they would resort to such measures?”

“You didn’t expect?”

Ho Gamyeong stared at Yeop Wi without saying a word. Yeop Wi quietly lowered his head.

“I have no excuse. I’ll accept any punishment.”

Ho Gamyeong, who had been silently staring at him, shook his head.

“No.”

It was an unexpected response. Yeop Wi glanced up at Ho Gamyeong’s expression. Surprisingly, there was no trace of any emotion on Ho Gamyeong’s face.

“If there’s fault, it lies with me for assigning tasks unsuitable for those lacking in capability. I should have considered that.”

Blinking.

In that indifferent tone, Yeop Wi felt a sting.

It wasn’t an unfair statement. There had been a mistake, and criticism was warranted. It wasn’t a command to kill the enemy, just a simple order to tail them. Even if those who failed to carry it out had ten mouths, what could they say?

Yet, the reason for his frustration was that the only ones who suffered from this incident were Yeop Wi and Haomun. He had lost all the subordinates he had nurtured with care, while Ho Gamyeong and Maninbang hadn’t suffered any losses, had they?

In such a situation, it was only natural for Yeop Wi to feel his blood boil even at the hint of mocking reproach.

“We didn’t receive any information about the expert in poison among them. If only we had…”

“Information?”

Ho Gamyeong stared blankly at Yeop Wi.

“It might be wise to choose your words more carefully. Wasn’t it Haomun’s responsibility to gather that information in the first place?”

“Well…”

“Enough.”

Ho Gamyeong cut him off with a cool tone.

“There’s no point in blaming past events. What matters is making amends going forward.”

It wasn’t particularly harsh. Depending on one’s perspective, it might even sound like a form of support. However, Yeop Wi couldn’t simply take Ho Gamyeong’s words at face value.

“For now, we need to track them…”

“In the first place!”

In the end, unable to contain his anger, Yeop Wi interrupted Ho Gamyeong and growled. 

“If we’re talking about right and wrong, isn’t it Maninbang’s fault for having your ships seized and politely leading them onto Gangnam’s land?”

Ho Gamyeong remained silent.

“If it weren’t for that, there wouldn’t be all these people dying for nothing!”

He glared at Ho Gamyeong with bloodshot eyes and demanded.  

“Am I wrong?”

Though he yelled as if urging to be killed, Ho Gamyeong, surprisingly, nodded calmly.

“That’s right.”

“That’s… What did you say?”

“It’s not a wrong statement. It’s my fault. No, it’s my mistake.”

For a moment, Yeop Wi looked at Ho Gamyeong with a puzzled expression.

“It would have been better if we could have dealt with it in Hainan. But we couldn’t. Do you need further explanation?”

“No.”

“Alright then. However… there’s one thing we need to address.”

“What…?”

“‘You’re wrong’ wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Yeop Wi flinched momentarily as he met Ho Gamyeong’s gaze. Ho Gamyeong’s indifferent eyes seemed to weigh heavily on Yeop Wi.

“Or perhaps, are you still living in the past?”

Yeop Wi bit his lip tightly. After hesitating for a while, he spoke with a strained voice.

“…I apologize. I was rude.”

“Understood. Let’s consider it settled.”

Ho Gamyeong, as if deciding not to delve further, changed the subject.

“There must be communication channels with other branches. Investigate their movements and secure their positions by any means necessary.”

“Yes. I will issue orders to block them.”

“Understand me clearly. What I ordered is to investigate their movements.”

“…What?”

“They are not opponents that a single branch of Haomun can handle.”

“…”

“In any case, Haomun is the unified force. They are different from scattered Sapa factions. There’s no need to increase meaningless sacrifices. Don’t approach them unnecessarily, just accurately determine their location. We will handle the rest. Just make sure you do what you’ve been instructed properly.”

Yeop Wi nodded heavily.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Now, get moving.”

“…Yes.”

As Yeop Wi quickly moved away, Ho Gaemyeong’s gaze turned cold. Then, a mocking voice echoed in his ears.

“You can be merciful.”

Goe Ryang blatantly sneered.

“Commander might be more suited to the imperial palace than Sapaeryeon. If it were me, I would have cut off his tongue.”

“It’s pointless.”

But Ho Gaemyeong remained calm.

“It’s just venting. There’s no benefit. Even if it’s just a tiny bit of ability, it’s better than nothing. Right now, that ability is needed.”

“But he insulted Maninbang.”

“He insulted me, not Maninbang or Ryeonju.”

Ho Gaemyeong said calmly.

“It’s nothing new for me to be insulted. So, there’s no need to pay attention to such trivial matters.”

“You’re quite composed, aren’t you?”

Goe Ryang frowned disapprovingly.

Certainly, Goe Ryang had no friendly feelings toward Ho Gaemyeong either. However, he acknowledged this point. Typically, while Just Sects would stir up trouble due to useless pride, Evil Sects often veered off course due to their useless dignity.

‘But if that guy had even dared to mention the Lord, I would have torn him apart on the spot.’

That’s why Ho Gaemyeong was so annoying.

“But I don’t understand.”

“…”

Goe Ryang chuckled.

“They say when in a hurry, even a cat will lend a hand, but can those guys really be as capable as a cat? It would be more realistic to hope that Hwasan Geomhyeop would slip off a cliff and fall to his death, rather than hope that he would be caught by those guys.”

“That’s not wrong. But while there may be eyes to judge abilities, there may still be a lack of eyes to judge people.”

“Hmm?”

“I didn’t say to find them. I said to secure their location. It’s just a matter of not letting them slip through.”

“Is there a difference?”

“If it were Hwasang Geomhyeop I know…”

Ho Gaemyeong’s eyes sank grimly.

“No, there’s no point in talking about it. We’ll find out soon enough.”

Goe Ryang’s face twisted slightly.

“We don’t have time for useless chatter. Let’s move.”

“Of course, commander.”

As Goe Ryang turned without hesitation, Ho Gaemyeong gave a brief order to the waiting aide. After receiving the instructions, the aide glanced around briefly before speaking up.

“But, commander, what about those who brought the ships?”

Ho Gaemyeong shifted his gaze slightly to look behind them, where the disciples of Haenam sect were standing awkwardly on the coast. Ho Gaemyeong’s voice was cold as he gave an order.

“Restrain those who cannot keep up as hostages, and mobilize those with martial skills.”

“Yes, commander.”

Yu Gong simply closed his eyes in resignation. Ho Gaemyeong’s eyes briefly gleamed.

If Goe Ryang had overheard, he might have complained about another futile action. However, Ho Gaemyeong’s thoughts were different.

‘If there’s an unexpected variable that Hwasan didn’t anticipate, it would be them.’

And in his estimation, this variable would likely have a fatally decisive impact on them. When they realized it, it would be like a venomous dagger plunged into their back.

“Move out.”

“Yes!”

With Ho Gaemyeong’s command ringing ominously, the forces of Maninbang began their march northward, advancing relentlessly.

Their sole objective: Cheonumaeng.

And Hwasan Geomhyeop’s neck.