novelraw Chapter 170 : The Powder Keg of the Central Plains
Chapter 170 : The Powder Keg of the Central Plains
Chapter 170: The Powder Keg of the Central Plains
“These vengeful spirits… Get out of our inn right now!”
The shout from the Soso Inn’s owner, choked with tears, rang out.
And so, we were practically kicked out of the place. Just as we stepped outside, I heard the sound of salt being hastily scattered behind us.
It was like my favorite budget-friendly soul food joint, and now this mess… What a damn shame.
“Looks like we can’t come here anymore.”
“Isn’t that great? I know an inn that charges a bit more but has much better food. Let’s just go there from now on.”
Jo Harang, clearly tired of the cheap but hearty meals here, casually recommended another inn, as if offering a helpful suggestion.
What do you mean ‘great’? Soso Inn was my refuge from Beijing’s brutal prices, a place where I could enjoy a hot meal in peace.
And now it’s all ruined—because we saved a boy who was getting the life beaten out of him.
“Um…”
“Hey, boy from the Byeok Clan, you’re going to compensate for all this damage, right?”
If we ever wanted to return here, Jo Harang and the boy would have to pay for everything they broke.
Of course, we were martial artists now—well beyond what ordinary civilians could handle—and even if we caused trouble, it wasn’t like they could do anything to us.
But this kind of behavior was the kind of thing you’d expect from some Demonic Cult goon.
Ming Cult… Was it Ming Cult…?
Why burden myself with bad karma for no reason? I decided to side with the innkeeper of Soso Inn.
“O-of course!”
According to Ilhong, the Byeok Clan had produced multiple government officials for the Imperial Court and were so successful in business that they were considered one of the wealthiest families in Beijing.
Since we were already involved, I figured I might as well hear him out and see if I could squeeze some money out of the situation.
Jo Harang didn’t say it outright, but the look in her eyes said she hoped I’d help.
“Anyway, kid. Start talking.”
“T-talking?”
“Your story. How did you end up being chased like that?”
Considering how that shady gang had been pursuing him like madmen, this clearly wasn’t some petty teenage runaway or delinquent situation.
There had to have been a serious problem within his family.
The boy pounded his chest, looking deeply wronged, and poured out his story.
“My father… that is, the Clan Head, has been wrongly accused and imprisoned by the court!”
Just like that, he started with something heavy—he claimed his father had been falsely accused and was now locked up by the Imperial Court, which ruled over the entire Central Plains.
Wrongfully accused and imprisoned, he said. People always tell their stories from their own point of view.
I glanced sideways at Jo Harang with a look that said, Are we really taking this request?
“The Byeok Clan’s Clan Head is a really good person. But it seems he’s gotten caught up in something. Mujin, I really hope you’ll take this case…”
The one vouching for their character was none other than Ja Misung, who could read a person’s karma. That meant there was at least some credibility to their claim of injustice.
Of course, if they pay enough, I’m always on my client’s side. But since we were potentially going up against the Imperial Court or even the Royal Family, I wanted to tread carefully.
“What exactly was the injustice, and how did your Clan Head end up imprisoned? Give me the full story.”
I questioned the boy, whose face was still swollen from the beating he had taken.
After cautiously glancing around to make sure no one was listening, the little client began to speak.
“This happened a while ago, but there was an incident in Shaanxi where a large number of our clan’s Thunderburst Bombs were used.”
This sounded familiar.
No, more than familiar—I was the living witness of the Dragon-Phoenix Bloodbath, where Thunderburst Bombs had rained down like hellfire.
“You mean the incident with the Blood Cult that the Murim Alliance investigated?”
“…Yes. Both the Imperial Court and the Murim Alliance are hunting them, but somehow, the Blood Cult got their hands on a large stockpile of our clan’s Thunderburst Bombs and caused a huge disaster.”
Yeah, no kidding—it was such a disaster I nearly died back then.
Thanks to fighting like a demon to survive, I was even granted the alias Dog-Beating Dragon by the Alliance Leader himself.
“The worst part is that even the Great Thunderburst Bombs, which are considered siege weapons, were confirmed to have been used. Our Byeok Clan has been in utter turmoil ever since.”
Great Thunderburst Bombs—I still remember those. They were powerful enough to nearly obliterate even someone presumed to be at the Blazing Flame realm.
The Blood Cult maniacs had tried to ram siege weapons—designed to bring down fortress walls—into people’s bodies.
And they didn’t just ambush us—they even pulled off suicide charges.
“My father claimed innocence before the court. He vehemently denied any connection to the Blood Cult, but then some strange piece of evidence suddenly surfaced… and he was dragged away and imprisoned by the Royal Guards.”
The Blood Cult bastards really left a trail of shit everywhere.
All for their vengeance, and now so many innocent people are suffering.
“Hmm, accusations of leaking firearms and cannons, huh…”
Firearms, cannons, and bombs were tightly controlled even by the Imperial Court.
With just one of these weapons, ordinary people could take down martial artists—or even high-ranking officials.
They were the great equalizer. One bomb, and all that status meant nothing. Which is why their distribution was strictly regulated.
Of course, no one seemed to care much about makeshift bombs made with a little black powder bought from the Black Market.
Lucky for Ilhong, who had personally gathered black powder and made her own bombs.
“Were the Thunderburst Bombs used back then really from the Byeok Clan?”
“Yes, probably…”
So they were genuine, not fakes. That’s why this had become such a serious problem.
Even after pulling every string they had for legal defense, the Royal Guards eventually stormed in and dragged the Clan Head away to their den.
“Ilhong, is it normal for the Royal Guards to get involved in this kind of case?”
“Hmm, usually it’s the Imperial Army that gets involved, right? Since they manage all the firearms.”
“Exactly.”
The Royal Guards—I was sure I’d had a run-in with them once too.
From what I’d heard, unlike the Eastern Depot, they were affiliated with the Second Prince or the Empress’s faction.
Something definitely smelled fishy.
“Ever since our Clan Head was taken away, strange things have been happening within our clan.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. What exactly happened?”
It was already strange that evidence from years ago suddenly popped up out of nowhere. That alone made it suspicious.
Someone might have planted that fake evidence.
“My older brother, who had left home, suddenly returned. He used to say he hated dealing with ‘shit and piss’ and refused to take over the family business. That’s why he ran away.”
“…‘Shit and piss’?”
“Oh, well, black powder is originally… Uh, never mind, that’s a secret.”
Might as well finish your sentence. He just stopped midway, leaving me with some unpleasant thoughts.
And look at that—Ilhong’s face, who had once handled black powder herself, went completely stiff.
“Anyway, my brother took advantage of Father’s absence, came back dragging a bunch of unidentified martial masters, and started taking over the clan.”
So now, with the Clan Head gone, this eldest son was using his bloodline status and a gang of unknown experts to seize control of the clan. This reminded me a bit of…
“Sounds like that guy Eun Yanggon.”
The very one I had personally beaten some sense into—Eun Hwaran’s older brother.
Last I heard, he’d been keeping quiet and not causing any more trouble at home. His sister’s customer satisfaction was practically through the roof because of it.
Even their father, Eun Jincheong, had praised me, saying it was something he couldn’t accomplish himself. The secret? A few good punches and kicks I’d learned from Hwang Geolgae.
Pain without bruises. That technique had made a new man out of him.
“So what is it you want me to do? You want me to beat that eldest son down? Or get your father out of prison?”
I asked the boy, whose eyes had gone slightly glazed over after unloading his entire story.
The Byeok Clan boy responded with slurred words as he swayed unsteadily on his feet.
“F-first… I need to meet up with my sister at our designated spot… We were supposed to meet soon…”
So there was another direct blood relative from the Byeok Clan. Looked like the siblings were working together to fight back against their rogue elder brother.
“Where’s the meeting spot?”
“The second ridge of Mount Oyak, nearby…”
His adrenaline must’ve worn off, and as his body cooled, all the accumulated fatigue and backlash hit him at once.
Judging by his state, he was about to collapse.
“We agreed to meet at dawn… W-will you accept the request…?”
Though he was swaying and looked like he might fall over at any second, the boy clung to consciousness with sheer willpower, desperate to hear my answer.
He had the face of someone holding onto their final lifeline.
“Hm. What’s your name?”
“B-Byeok Muji (霹舞志)…”
Muji, huh. Why does his name sound weirdly similar to mine?
Anyway, I gave a small grin at the boy, who looked like he wouldn’t rest until he heard my answer—even if it killed him.
“Alright then. I, Dan Mujin, accept your request.”
“Th-thank goodness…”
Only after hearing my answer did Byeok Muji finally relax. His strength drained away, and he collapsed right then and there.
The next day, at dawn—Mount Oyak.
In the faint sunlight that turned the clouds red, a group of martial artists climbed the steep ridge.
“He’s a client, you know. And yet you carry him like a sack of rice.”
Jo Harang made a clicking sound with her tongue as she watched me roughly sling Byeok Muji over my shoulder.
She sure had a lot to say, despite not offering to carry him herself.
“This is called the Single-Arm Transport Method. It keeps one hand free, and if something happens, I can drop him and fight right away. It’s super efficient.”
Carrying him bridal-style or on the back was more stable, but you had to use both hands, and you’d be slow to react if an enemy popped out.
That’s why I chose this slightly rough-looking but efficient method of escorting our client.
“But this kid… really won’t wake up, huh?”
By now, he should’ve woken up and walked on his own.
Instead, I was the only one suffering from this human-pack mule duty. People were heavier than you’d think.
“He’s been on the run for a long time and even got beaten up. Of course he’s out cold. He’ll probably be unconscious all day.”
Jo Harang, with her wealth of wanderer experience, offered her diagnosis of the client’s condition.
“So you’re telling me it takes a whole day to recover from just this level of fatigue and damage? This is why ordinary humans are…”
I shook my head.
Some of us had been stabbed dozens of times and walked through hellish battles by that age.
“What are you on about now? Speaking nonsense again?”
Jo Harang grumbled, used to my odd remarks, but I just kept climbing, tuning her out.
When we finally reached the designated meeting point, a figure slowly emerged from beyond the ridge.
Judging by the formidable aura she gave off, she was clearly a martial artist.
But with that long hair, I guessed she might be the sister Byeok Muji was supposed to meet.
Or so I thought—until the moment she saw us and her eyes lit up with killing intent and resolve.
Startled, Jo Harang and Ilhong instinctively took up defensive stances.
“Hand over that boy at once!”
A sharp cry, full of hostility.
The woman wore loose martial robes, bristling with strange gear. She looked suspicious as hell—almost like Tang Yeo-hye, with all her concealed weapons.
“First, please identify yourself.”
I couldn’t hand over a client to some random stranger, so I tried to confirm her identity.
But how she interpreted that question… was unexpected.
“So the intel was leaked…”
She muttered something cryptic, then shouted in a voice full of hostility.
“If someone was supposed to meet you here to take the boy, I’ve already dealt with them!”
What did she mean, the intel was leaked? And what exactly did she “deal with”?
Sounded like someone other than us had come to this ridge before.
“So if you don’t hand over the boy, I’ll be forced to use violence!”
As she spoke, she pulled something round from her sleeve.
It didn’t look like poison gas, so it was probably some kind of bomb.
“Wait, miss—whoever you are. I think you’ve misunderstood something. Please, just listen to me for a—”
It seemed a series of coincidences had caused a big misunderstanding. My companions and I waved our hands, signaling we didn’t want to fight.
“Misunderstanding, my ass! You scumbags—give me back my little brother!”
The woman, already convinced we were villains, flung what appeared to be a Small Thunderburst Bomb right at us.
KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM—!