Chapter 17

Ch. 17

The Fist King Takes His Leave from the Courtesan

When Yeom Ji-sang saw his disciples about to charge out recklessly, he immediately stopped them.

"No. Not yet, surround them first. And Gwak Pyeong, you gather the equipment with the others... The rest of you encircle and confront him. He's fast. Don't chase him if he runs. There might be more enemies outside or it could be a trap."

Yeom Ji-sang looked up at the sky and said.

"The moon is dark. We'll fight only here. There's not enough moonlight for open combat."

Dan Wooseong, who had heard Yeom Ji-sang's accurate assessment of the situation, clapped his hands. Only then did Yeom Ji-sang notice the cloth wrapped around Dan Wooseong's wrist to the back of his hand and asked with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Are you by any chance the Great Young Master of the Galaxy Merchant Group?"

What hung at his waist was an iron club that couldn't be considered a main weapon, and upon seeing the cloth wrapped around his fists, he seemed to have immediately recognized him as a young fist practitioner.

"That's right. Well, the Galaxy Merchant Group's information network was exceptional."

At the mention of the Great Young Master of the Galaxy Merchant Group, the disciples of the Laughing Immortal Sect formed an encirclement and waited. Originally, there had been orders to capture the Great Young Master alive.

Yeom Ji-sang was also troubled.

'He doesn't seem like someone I can deal with casually.'

Yeom Ji-sang commanded.

"Attack with the intention of cutting off at least one limb each. Capture him while keeping him alive as much as possible. Don't worry about injuring him and strike. As long as we keep him alive, he's worth money."

Though it was appropriate orders for his subordinates, it was also information Dan Wooseong could take note of.

'So they were trying to exchange me for money.'

Yeom Ji-sang leaped into the air and immediately climbed onto the wall to watch the outside. Despite his frivolous tone, he had a very meticulous personality. While checking if there were more enemies, he said to his subordinates.

"Attack."

The disciples of the Laughing Immortal Sect rushed at Dan Wooseong. Dan Wooseong also moved. Then one disciple who had been coming from inside threw something to Yeom Ji-sang while shouting.

"Master."

When a long wooden case flew over, Yeom Ji-sang caught it and skillfully opened the case while glancing at the fight. As expected, the Great Young Master of the Galaxy Merchant Group's movements were fast. Already three or four people were rolling on the ground.

The wooden case was separated into upper and lower sections - the lower section had a mechanism that could fire steel needles, and the upper section was packed tightly with thin, long steel needles. Though it had the inconvenience of having to lower the steel needles to the bottom section after firing five shots, it was a portable weapon with excellent power and remarkably simple aiming and firing.

After loading five shots, Yeom Ji-sang aimed at Dan Wooseong through the hollowed-out part at the end of the wooden case and pressed the firing mechanism.

Whoosh!

The flying steel needle embedded with a thud sound into the back of a Laughing Immortal Sect disciple's neck.

Yeom Ji-sang clicked his tongue.

"Tsk."

When his own disciple collapsed with a thud, Yeom Ji-sang narrowed his brow again and aimed at Dan Wooseong.

Dan Wooseong was striking up at one disciple's forehead with his knee while simultaneously leaping into the air.

A perfect situation to hit.

Yeom Ji-sang pressed the firing mechanism again.

Whoosh!

But as soon as the steel needle left the mechanism, something that reflected moonlight flew rapidly from Dan Wooseong's waist.

Clang! Crack!

He hadn't leaped into the air for nothing. Dan Wooseong had thrown the iron club from his waist to immediately smash the mechanism Yeom Ji-sang was holding and descended.

Yeom Ji-sang was startled and threw away the destroyed mechanism. His hands were left numb.

'His reactions are fast.'

As Yeom Ji-sang drew his sword, he said to his disciples.

"Catch the fish."

A casting net flew toward Dan Wooseong, who was moving at high speed and knocking down disciples. Not only the casting net, but small snares aimed at Dan Wooseong's ankles were also being thrown from here and there.

As soon as Dan Wooseong used his teleportation lightness technique once to escape the excessively overlapping target position, he caught the end of the casting net falling from the air, injected inner qi, and twisted his wrist.

Swirrrrrr!

The casting net wrapped around in one direction and tangled, then suddenly transformed into a long, thick whip.

Dan Wooseong, trapped in the circular encirclement, swung the whip made from the casting net. In an instant, five or six disciples covered their faces with both hands and screamed.

Since there were many disciples, Dan Wooseong didn't aim precisely. While injecting inner qi, he struck down vertically and diagonally with the whip, hitting two or three people at once. Moreover, it was a casting net infused with lightning qi.

Crack! Thud! Crack! Thud! Clang!

Then when there were those approaching, he swung horizontally. One approaching man made a choking sound and grabbed his neck. His neck had been torn, cut by the end of the casting net.

Only Yeom Ji-sang's expression, who was watching, grew increasingly grim.

'How can he fight so well?'

If he was the Great Young Master of the Galaxy Merchant Group, he was definitely a young man, but his fighting style was no different from a battle-hardened veteran. He seemed to have a lot of experience fighting multiple opponents. Yeom Ji-sang, who had been about to join in, watched Dan Wooseong for a moment with wide eyes.

He was thinking of running away if things went wrong.

Then the casting net that had been used as a whip spread wide as it fell vertically, trapping six or seven people inside the net.

What happened next was spectacular.

Since it was a night when the moon wasn't very bright, white lightning qi that started from the Great Young Master's hand extended into the casting net with a crackling sound, and six or seven people simultaneously screamed and convulsed throughout their bodies.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

When those electrocuted by the lightning qi collapsed to the ground, the startled disciples of the Laughing Immortal Sect unconsciously stepped backward.

When there was a brief lull...

Dan Wooseong, holding the casting net in his hand, looked at Yeom Ji-sang who was standing blankly on the wall. When Yeom Ji-sang blinked and looked back, Dan Wooseong said.

"What are you looking at, you bastard. Come down. Don't think about running away after watching for an opening."

Yeom Ji-sang's eyes widened. Absurdly, the number of disciples who could still fight was now only about ten. Before he knew it, all the rest were lying on the cold ground.

When Dan Wooseong said this, ridiculously, the disciples looked at their master without attacking further. While they could face death when fighting together, if their master was sending only them to their deaths, they had no intention of fighting either.

Yeom Ji-sang said.

"What are you doing? Attack."

Dan Wooseong responded as if amazed.

"Look at this guy? Were you really thinking of running away?"

Yeom Ji-sang looked at Dan Wooseong and said.

"Of course not."

Along with his words, Yeom Ji-sang slipped down behind the wall and began running away using lightness technique. Sighs flowed from the disciples here and there.

Dan Wooseong ran with the casting net, caught one of the snares that had fallen to the ground, and immediately leaped into the air.

The surviving disciples looked at each other's faces.

"Let's run away. He'll probably kill Master and come back to kill all of us too."

The surviving disciples began running in the opposite direction from where Dan Wooseong and Yeom Ji-sang were going. It was the typical ending shown when a sect without 'tradition' was defeated.

Yeom Ji-sang, who had started running away first, had lost his sense of direction because it was dark. After standing and looking around for a moment, he heard the footsteps of the Great Young Master fiercely chasing him, was startled, and began fleeing into the darkness again.

Then when Yeom Ji-sang saw what appeared to be a hidden weapon flying low along the ground behind him, he leaped into the air.

A fiercely spinning snare passed below him. Then as soon as he sensed something, the startled Yeom Ji-sang swung his sword toward the air.

Crack!

Whether he swung his sword or not, the casting net covered Yeom Ji-sang. Then Dan Wooseong's fist flew toward Yeom Ji-sang's face.

Thud!

Yeom Ji-sang rolled backward and wrapped the casting net around his entire body himself. If the disciples had helped while he was fighting with martial arts, he could have fought much better than this. Yeom Ji-sang had been captured without even having a proper fight.

Yeom Ji-sang shouted angrily.

"Great Young Master!"

"Why are you calling so desperately."

Dan Wooseong appeared and looked down at the fish caught in the casting net. Because of his beard, he looked like a large catfish.

Yeom Ji-sang shouted.

"I also have quite a lot of accumulated wealth! I'll give you ransom money... just spare my life. I'll give generous ransom... no, I can even give my entire fortune."

Dan Wooseong replied.

"Why do you keep thinking of people's lives in terms of money."

Dan Wooseong's foot fell toward Yeom Ji-sang's face.

"I don't need it, so just die."

With a thud sound, Yeom Ji-sang's life was cut short. After Dan Wooseong instinctively looked around once, he headed back toward the Elegant Poetry Pavilion estate. When Yeom Ji-sang first appeared, the image of him pulling up his pants remained in his memory, so his mood wasn't very good.

.

.

.

Dan Wooseong entered the estate where the disciples of the Laughing Immortal Sect had fled and looked around. He heard someone sobbing from somewhere and headed there. When he opened the door, a woman bleeding from both wrists was struggling to free her hands that were tied to the bedding.

When a masked person appeared, the woman was startled and only shed tears.

Dan Wooseong looked at the woman's naked body. Fortunately, it seemed she hadn't been violated. Still, the courtesan's nudity was pitiful.

After Dan Wooseong pulled over a blanket to cover the woman's body and untied the rope around her wrists, the woman finally managed to stop crying and stared at Dan Wooseong.

Dan Wooseong sighed because of a memory that suddenly came to mind. It happened to be a face he knew.

'Was it Suran from Danhyang Pavilion?'

He had never slept with her as the Great Young Master. She was a woman he had avoided because there were stories that he had slept with an acquaintance.

"Get dressed and come out. I'll escort you back."

Since the guys who ran away were nearby, it was dangerous to send her alone. A little later, Dan Wooseong walked the night road with the courtesan Suran.

The direction was Danhyang Pavilion.

Both walked without speaking. Therefore, it was impossible to know whether Suran remembered the ragamuffin young master of the Galaxy Merchant Group or not.

While walking, Suran was startled and stopped. The pervert who had been tormenting her was lying on the cold ground wrapped up in the casting net. Suran said.

"One of his subordinates came and asked if I could go to a drinking party for an old scholar who came from far away. The location was also Elegant Poetry Pavilion, and I had no idea they were these kinds of people."

An excuse that didn't need to be made flowed out somewhat pitifully. But the words that followed startled Dan Wooseong.

"He was taking money from his money belt."

Who would have thought money would come up again here. Dan Wooseong said as if he understood.

"Look for it."

Suran approached the corpse and rummaged through his belongings to pull out the money belt. As Suran had said, thick leather pouches were hanging in a row from the money belt.

Dan Wooseong said.

"If you have that, you don't have to return to Danhyang Pavilion?"

Suran looked with truly surprised eyes.

"Who are you?"

She seemed not to remember. It was also hard to recognize him because of the mask and thick darkness.

"A man who used to frequent taverns in the old days."

Suran held out the money belt and said.

"I have nowhere to go. I don't know anyone elsewhere either. I don't need money either."

When Dan Wooseong stood still, Suran approached and carefully placed the money belt on Dan Wooseong's shoulder.

"Thank you for saving me."

Suran walked a few more steps down the pitch-black night road, then turned around and said to Dan Wooseong.

"Instead, could you escort me just until we reach the lights?"

Dan Wooseong, with the money belt slung over his shoulder, came to Suran's side and walked as if he would escort her further.

The night road stretched long.

When they entered the night streets of Night City, Dan Wooseong had no choice but to lower his mask. Only then did Suran check his face and seemed to remember.

"Will you come for a drink next time? Great Young Master."

Dan Wooseong shook his head.

"No. I'm tired of taverns."

Suran nodded and said.

"You've changed a lot. Thank you so much for today."

Dan Wooseong said as he headed toward the Galaxy Merchant Group.

"Live well."

There were no more words he could offer.

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