Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 32 : A Wolf Watching a Dog (1)

"You've worked hard."

"Then, since the road is long, we will depart now."

At the greeting of the man in the bamboo hat, Mak Gu-dong nodded without answering.

As the man in the bamboo hat turned his back and turned his body, the remaining men also moved, following their leader.

After they had all left, a tall man in his early thirties approached Mak Gu-dong.

It was Cha Shim, with a sword on his waist.

Mak Gu-dong and Cha Shim had been together for five years and could be called sworn brothers. They were that close, and there were no secrets between them.

"This year, the amount of goods going to the Blood Curtain has doubled compared to last year. I'm worried that it will double again next year, brother."

"That won't happen."

Mak Gu-dong shook his head and said curtly.

Mak Gu-dong, as if he were in a bad mood, frowned and spoke again to Cha Shim.

"No matter how much the sect master of the Blood Curtain is my master, I have to refuse unreasonable demands. What's most important to me right now is not my master, but the members of our Black Curtain Fortress."

Cha Shim was relieved at Mak Gu-dong's appearance.

"Then that's a relief. I was a little worried about food because the number of members of the fortress has increased explosively."

As Cha Shim said, immediately after they had dealt with the subjugation team, other small-scale bandit fortresses from the surrounding area had come and been accepted as subordinates.

Since there were also quite a few wanderers who came after hearing the rumors, the number of members of the fortress now reached about five hundred.

He had been quite worried because the number had decreased after being hit by the subjugation team, but now that worry had disappeared.

As the power grew, the expenses naturally also grew.

Mak Gu-dong stroked his beard and said.

"That's understandable. It's because the number of guys who suddenly want to come under our wing has increased."

"I think it will increase even more in the future."

"It's also a problem if it increases more. For the time being, just turn away the guys who want to come in. If it gets bigger, it will become troublesome in many ways. We need to take a break at this point."

"Yes. And the Nanchang branch master wants to see you. What should we do?"

"We have to meet him. There must be a reason why he wants to see us, right?"

"Understood."

Cha Shim answered and then frowned.

"But I hear that the Nanchang branch is gathering wanderers and forming a subjugation team again. Why would a guy who wants to subjugate us want to see us?"

"I don't know. Be careful, as he might be trying to pull a fast one behind our backs."

"Yes."

Cha Shim answered and then went outside.

Mak Gu-dong drank wine, wondering what the reason was that the Nanchang branch master wanted to see him.

* * *

A few days later, a dozen or so bandits were standing in a shady wooden forest at the entrance of Noryeon Mountain.

Among them, Mak Gu-dong was seen sitting in a chair.

He was watching a middle-aged man crossing a distant stream.

Dressed in a white martial arts uniform and with a sword on his shoulder, he crossed the stream at a fast speed and then ran in front of Mak Gu-dong.

Mak Gu-dong, seeing that his lightness skill was outstanding, knew that he was the Nanchang branch master he was waiting for.

As the middle-aged man stopped three zhang in front of Mak Gu-dong, Mak Gu-dong stood up from his chair.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

Yun Deok, the Nanchang branch master, smiled and answered, then looked at Mak Gu-dong's subordinates and spoke again.

"Is there only one chair?"

"Only one."

"Tsk! Your attitude towards a guest is wrong."

Yun Deok clicked his tongue and shook his head. Then Mak Gu-dong frowned and tapped the shoulder of Cha Shim, who was standing next to him.

"Bring anything."

"Yes."

Cha Shim answered, then lifted a large nearby rock and placed it next to Mak Gu-dong.

Mak Gu-dong sat in his chair and gestured with his hand to sit down.

His face was full of a smile. It meant that if he had the courage, he should sit next to him.

Yun Deok was alone, and Mak Gu-dong was with ten of his subordinates. And they were the elites of the Black Curtain Fortress.

On top of that, Mak Gu-dong's martial arts were also at a level that could not be ignored. It meant that if things went wrong, he would cut him down immediately.

Yun Deok stroked his beard, approached Mak Gu-dong's side, and sat on the rock. Seeing that, Mak Gu-dong shook his head at his subordinates.

As the subordinates bowed their heads and disappeared into the forest, Yun Deok opened his mouth.

"How about we make a deal?"

"A deal? The main point is a deal?"

"If you send a suitable amount of gold to the branch, there will be no subjugation of the Black Curtain Fortress."

"Pfft! Hahahaha!"

At Yun Deok's words, Mak Gu-dong laughed out loud.

To think he would make such a proposal.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, but now that he heard those words, he was flustered and amused.

Mak Gu-dong asked with a serious face.

"So you came this far alone in such a hurry?"

"Do you think I would have come this far alone? My subordinates are waiting over that hill. They are roaming around here and there under the pretext of patrolling."

"It's a collection."

"Hahahaha! Let's call it a donation."

At the word 'collection', Yun Deok slapped his knee and laughed. Mak Gu-dong's words were not wrong.

The number of unorthodox sects in Jiangxi Province exceeded several hundred. Among them, the small-scale ones constantly disappeared and were created. It was an impossible task to grasp them one by one.

It was because the land was so vast and there were so many people.

Among them, there were few unorthodox sects with a large scale. It was a matter of just getting along well with them.

The Black Curtain Fortress was in the process of establishing a certain position in the southern region. If a few years passed like this, it would surely become a large unorthodox group.

It was the position of the Martial Alliance to get rid of it before then.

But that was the justice that was revealed on the outside.

From the perspective of the Martial Alliance or the Nanchang branch, the existence of an unorthodox sect with a suitable scale in the city was not a bad thing.

An unorthodox sect of a suitable scale was like a gold mine from which they could obtain a lot of funds without much effort.

"It won't be a loss for Fortress Master Kang, will it?"

Yun Deok asked suggestively, and to Mak Gu-dong, it sounded like a threat.

Mak Gu-dong asked with a hardened expression.

"So, how much is the tribute?"

At the word that emphasized the word 'tribute', Yun Deok felt like he had become a loan shark. But that was a feeling he always had.

In the martial world of survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle was the absolute truth.

The Black Curtain Fortress was but a drop in the ocean compared to the Martial Alliance. In reality, the Martial Alliance had no interest in what kind of place the Black Curtain Fortress was or how large it was.

A portion of the donation received from the Black Curtain Fortress would go to the Martial Alliance, and the rest would be the share of the Nanchang branch.

There was no reason for the leader of the Martial Alliance to even know of the existence of a bandit fortress called the Black Curtain Fortress.

Yun Deok smiled and held up three fingers.

"About three thousand nyang of gold a year should be enough."

"It's not just a robber. It's a leech trying to suck my blood."

"Are you going to refuse?"

Yun Deok had an expression that said it didn't matter if he refused.

To Mak Gu-dong, three thousand nyang was a huge amount. Since it was not a fund that could be easily collected, he could not answer rashly.

To Mak Gu-dong, who had lived comfortably by becoming a bandit and plundering, Yun Deok looked like a usurer.

"It doesn't seem to be a problem I can decide on my own. Give me some time."

"I'll give you two days. I can stay for about two days, but after that, I have to go back to the branch."

Yun Deok spoke as if to emphasize that he had to match his own schedule.

Mak Gu-dong shook his head.

"One moment is enough."

It meant to wait for a moment.

"Alright."

Yun Deok smiled and then walked towards the stream.

Mak Gu-dong called the subordinates who were in the forest. After talking with them for a while, Mak Gu-dong approached Yun Deok, who was standing by the stream.

Yun Deok turned his head and asked.

"Have you decided?"

"Let's make it a thousand nyang. More than that is impossible."

"Fifteen hundred."

Yun Deok's gaze, as he said it curtly, was firm.

Mak Gu-dong nodded as if he had no choice. To have come down from three thousand nyang to fifteen hundred, it had to be seen as a success in its own way.

"Let's do that."

"I'll know that you'll receive the donation once a year, around the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Instead, make sure to stop the subjugation team."

Mak Gu-dong had an expression that said he had to get a promise.

Yun Deok smiled as if to say not to worry and answered.

"I'll keep my promise, so don't worry. The subjugation team coming this time is fifty people, so you take care of them. There won't be any after that."

"Weren't you supposed to stop them too?"

"Fifty. And they are all nameless wanderers. If you can't even handle that much, do we need to receive a donation? We don't know when they'll die. If they die, we also have a justification. The Black Curtain Fortress is a place so large that we can't handle it, so be careful on your own. The branch did its best."

This subjugation was proof that the Nanchang branch had actively engaged in the subjugation of the unorthodox.

"Instead, don't provoke the Namgung family. We can block other places, but we can't block them."

"Who would attack the Namgung family? No matter how stupid one is, there's no one who would do such a thing."

"That's right."

Yun Deok stroked his beard and spoke again.

"A branch member will move with the subjugation team this time. They will tell you the location of the subjugation team, so you can either do a night raid or an ambush at a suitable time."

"Thank you."

Mak Gu-dong didn't like Yun Deok, who was trying to take credit. But since it was helpful even if it was a transparent act, he had to say thank you.

Yun Deok nodded and then said.

"I'll send my subordinates next year."

"Is there no tribute this year?"

"It's not a tribute, but a donation."

Yun Deok emphasized the word 'donation', and Mak Gu-dong showed an awkward smile.

"Let's call it a donation."

"Keep up the good work."

Since his business was over, Yun Deok quickly crossed the stream and headed for the hill. As he moved away, Mak Gu-dong changed his expression and showed a cold killing intent.

"Dirty bastards!"

He spat on the ground and shook his head from side to side.

* * *

In the training ground of the Nanchang branch, about fifty men and women were gathered. The women were a minority, seven, and the rest were men.

Their ages varied from their early twenties to old men in their sixties.

The number of wanderers who had set out on this work for money was about twenty. It seemed there were more people who had trained in martial arts at small-scale sects in Jiangxi Province than wanderers.

Next to Jin Sa-wol, who was standing in the training ground, Hyun Jin whispered.

"Here, I'm not Hyun Jin, a disciple of the Wudang Sect, but Woo Jeong-bong. You know, right? Woo Jeong-bong."

Jin Sa-wol just nodded without a word.

Hyun Jin had decided to temporarily abandon his Taoist name and use his real name.

Since he hadn't used the name Woo Jeong-bong after becoming a disciple of the Wudang Sect, no one in the martial world knew it.

Woo Jeong-bong was wearing the same plain clothes as Jin Sa-wol and had a sword on his shoulder.

The two stood still right in front of the platform.

Jo Mal-sang went up on the platform and said.

"You all know the story well because you've heard it! If you kill the fortress master of the Black Curtain Fortress, it's three hundred nyang of gold. The leaders are fifty nyang of gold, and the rest of the bandits are ten nyang of silver. Everyone, do your best to realize the justice of the martial world! Team Leader Jang will be the guide, so please follow Team Leader Jang well."

Jo Mal-sang spoke briefly and then came down from the platform.

After that, Jang Oh went up and announced the departure, and the fifty-member subjugation team left the branch.

Jang Oh and his team members moved at the head with a large cart. It was a cart loaded with food.

Since it would take about ten days to get to Noryeon Mountain, a suitable amount of food was needed.

If it was insufficient, they could buy it from a nearby village, but a cart to transport it was essential.

To Jin Sa-wol, who was walking at the rear, Woo Jeong-bong asked.

"Are there any who stand out?"

"There's the Divine Wind Group. Seven of them go around like brothers, and they are quite skilled."

The Divine Wind Group, which was composed of famous hunters in Jiangxi Province, had been acting together for three years.

The team leader was an old man in his sixties named Gwae Yu, and the youngest was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties.

They were walking in front. Woo Jeong-bong asked again.

"There was also a woman with outstanding beauty. Who is she?"

"I don't know."

(End of Chapter)