With a red bandana wrapped around his head, Yoo Il-seok scanned the yellow booklet in his hands. The booklet contained a list of the items that arrived at the port today.
With this booklet, he could track what goods were loaded on each ship and where they were being sold.
It was a treasure that only Yoo Il-seok possessed.
It was also thanks to this booklet that the Red Bandana Association, a mere group of workers, managed to stand on an equal footing with a giant force like the Sea Dragon Sect.
Yoo Il-seok would analyze the contents of the booklet every day to predict which merchants would make the most profit, and invest in them accordingly.
As a result, the size of the Red Bandana Association grew by at least fivefold in the last twenty years since he became the head.
Then with the money the organization earned, Yoo Il-seok made sure to train his own martial artists. And now, the same martial artists boasted strength not far behind that of the Sea Dragon Sect.
But while this was how the world perceived the Red Bandana Association, Yoo Il-seok knew better.
He knew that in reality, the Red Bandana Association was still far inferior to that of the Sea Dragon Sect.
This was the exact reason why he was now doing his best in trying to come up with a way how to increase their organization’s power.
“My lord!”
Just then, a voice interrupted Yoo Il-seok’s peace.
Sensing the urgency in his subordinate’s voice, Yoo Il-seok knew that something must have happened. Otherwise, his subordinate would not have come looking for him at this late hour.
“What’s the matter?”
“Something big has happened!”
“Something big?”
Only then did Yoo Il-seok get up from his seat and hurriedly walk outside. Once outside, he could see all of his subordinates standing with their heads down.
“What happened?”
“The Third Young Master has been seriously injured!”
“The Third Young Master?”
“Yes!”
Yoo Il-seok furrowed his eyebrows.
For someone who had heard of the news of their child being injured, his reaction was not very emotional nor intense. It was far from the typical reaction of a normal parent.
Yoo Il-seok then continued to ask his subordinate,
“How is he?”
“He’s in critical condition. One of his arms is completely broken with its nerves severed. I’m afraid he’ll end up being a cripple.”
“How did he end up this way?”
“Well—”
“Is it because of his sodomy habits again?”
“I’m sorry.”
“That useless fool bringing shame to the family–!”
Yoo Il-seok’s face turned red and his eyes glowed with anger.
He was not upset at the fact that his child was injured, but more about the fact that his child had brought shame upon himself while trying to sodomize someone.
“Who did he touch this time?”
“He didn’t even manage to touch him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He received a beating from an old man just right before he was about to touch someone.”
“An old man?”
“Yes, and he seemed to be someone from outside the Central Plains.”
“You mean to tell me that a man from the outskirts dares to turn my son into a cripple? In my territory?!”
Yoo Il-seok took the humiliation of his son being sodomized in stride, but the fact that a stranger from beyond the Central Plains caused trouble in his territory infuriated him.
It was a matter of his pride.
Even though his organization fell short against the Sea Dragon Sect, they were still considered a strong powerhouse in Haimen. The fact that an old man from outside the Central Plains was running amok in his territory was enough to hurt his pride.
“Let’s go!”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s go to where that person is.”
“Understood.”
“Summon the First and Second Young Master as well.”
“Yes!”
Yoo Geonsang and Yoo Sangyeong, the first and second sons respectively, were both recognized as strong figures in the Red Bandana Association.
They both held key positions in the Red Bandana Association.
Whenever this kind of incident happens, he would turn to them. After all, the only people he could trust were his blood relatives.
The subordinate quickly informed Yoo Geonsang and Yoo Sangyeong that Yoo Il-seok had summoned them. The two immediately led their men to join Yoo Il-seok’s procession.
As Yoo Il-seok stepped out, there were nearly a hundred or so martial artists from the Red Bandana Association.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh my! Looks like something big has happened!”
The people murmured amongst themselves in surprise after seeing that their head, Yoo Il-seok, had come out and moved personally.
It was extremely rare for Yoo Il-seok to personally take action. But once he did, it usually meant that something big was happening.
A bloodbath was about to ensue.
It was in this way that Yoo Il-seok manage to protect and defend his own territory and the Red Bandana Association.
If there was one flaw in him, it would only be his third child, Yoo Cheolgwang. Other than that, everything about him, as a man, was perfect.
Now that Yoo Il-seok himself was on the move, people assumed that whatever problem had risen would be resolved quickly.
Yoo Il-seok was a man of great strength, worthy of being the head of the Red Bandana Association. Moreover, he had over a hundred subordinates following behind him.
These men were the real power behind the Red Bandana Association.
All of them were rough and fierce individuals who grew up in Haimen, known for never retreating until death in times of war.
They were so fierce and formidable that even the Heavenly Sea Dragon Sect was said to respect the Red Bandana Association’s territory because of them.
Yoo Geonsang, the eldest son, asked,
“Why did father summon us?”
He still didn’t know why they had been summoned this late in the night.
“Cheolgwang had returned critically injured.”
“Really?”
“That’s right! He tried to cause trouble again but got his ass handed to him.”
“Until when do we have to clean up after that brat?”
In the end, Yoo Geonsang lost his temper.
The second, Yoo Sangyeong, couldn’t hold back his anger either.
“Damn it! How could a piece of shit like him be our brother–!”
Bang!
At that moment, Yoo Il-seok’s palm forcefully struck Yoo Sangyeong’s cheek.
Yoo Il-seok’s cheeks instantly swelled up.
“Watch your language.”
“Father?”
“That trash is still my own flesh and blood. Insulting him is no different than insulting me, the one who created that trash.”
“I apologize. That was not my intention.”
“I know. So, be careful next time.”
“Yes!”
Yoo Il-seok looked around the area.
A large inn came into view.
It was the same inn that Yoo Cheolgwang had gotten himself injured.
Yoo Il-seok looked at his men and said,
“Prepare yourselves, everyone!”
“Yes!”
Swoosh!
At that, the warriors simultaneously drew their weapons.
Bang!
They kicked open the doors of the inn with the same vigor just as Yoo Cheolgwang had done when he arrived. The hinges of the door, which had already been broken because of Yoo Cheolgwang’s initial maltreatment, completely collapsed.
Yoo Il-seok surveyed the inside of the inn.
It didn’t take him long to find the man who had turned his son into a cripple. This was because most of the guests had already fled the moment they had sensed something was amiss.
Only three people remained on the first floor. They were all sitting at the same table.
The first person that caught Yoo Il-seok’s eyes was Pyo-wol, a man more beautiful than a woman.
As soon as his eyes laid on him, he understood why his son had his eyes turned upside down. With such looks, it wouldn’t be strange at all for his son to be attracted to a man and not a woman.
Yoo Il-seok shifted his gaze and looked at the elderly man sitting across from Pyo-wol. He instinctively recognized the elderly man as the one who had turned his son into a cripple.
Yoo Il-seok confidently approached the old man. The old man, Tarha, in return, turned his body to look at him.
Thump!
In that instant, Yoo Il-seok felt a shock that made his heart drop. He could already sense the immense strength hidden behind Tarha’s calm and sunken eyes.
Then with a smile that seemed to find the current situation amusing, Tarha looked at Yoo Il-seok and said,
“Who are you?”
“I am Yoo Il-seok, the father of the child you just injured. I am also the head of the Red Bandana Association.”
Yoo Il-Seok mustered up the courage to answer.
But Tarha’s reply struck him like a blow to the chest.
“Ah! So you’re the father of that wretched brat? How poorly you’ve raised him. He was utterly devoid of manners.”
“Is that why you crippled him?”
“Crippled? I was already being lenient towards him—”
“What’s your identity, the old man?”
“Is that important?”
Tarha chuckled as he replied.
Although the room was filled with a hundred warriors, Tarha showed no signs of being intimidated.
The same was true for Tarha’s granddaughter, Yul Ayeon.
She didn’t even look at Yoo Il-seok. She completely ignored him and just continued sipping her drink.
Yul Ayeon set her glass down and asked Pyo-wol,
“You said that the best way to get information is from the leaders in the area, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I guess we can get the information we needed now.”
Yul Ayeon smiled, revealing her white teeth.
Pyo-wol looked at Yul Ayeon with deep and sunken eyes.
Tarha hadn’t beaten up Yoo Cheolgwang because he was worried about Pyo-wol nor because Yoo Cheolgwang had stained and messed up with his granddaughter’s clothes.
He just knew one simple truth– that the moment he beats a child, the parent will naturally come running. And it just so happens that Yoo Cheolgwang’s parents turned out to be a powerful figure in Haimen.
Creak!
Tarha pushed his chair out of the way and stood up.
He stretched his arms out wide and spoke to Yoo Il-seok.
“The one who had turned your son into a cripple is right in front of you. What will you do?”
In that instant, Yoo Il-seok’s jaw muscles twitched.
A dangerous scent emanated from the elderly man in front of him. Just catching a whiff of it was enough to send chills down his spine.
He regretted coming here without any prior information.
If he had known that his opponent would be this formidable, he would have never set foot in this place, even if it meant considering his son nonexistent.
But regrets, no matter how fast, are always too late.
Now that he had come this far, he couldn’t afford to retreat and back down out of fear because of his opponent.
He had a hundred men with him, and there were other Haimen residents watching him through the window.
If he were to do nothing and retreat here, everyone would look down on him. He knew all too well what will happen to those who were looked down upon in Jianghu.
Yoo Il-seok barked out orders to his men,
“Attack!”
“Waaaah!”
As soon as his command fell, his subordinates rushed towards Tarha in a fearsome manner.
They mercilessly swung their weapons at Tarha.
Whoosh!
A large axe cut through the air, aiming to pierce through him. But none of the weapons managed to touch Tarha’s body.
Kwang!
With a sound resembling an explosion, the attackers were all forcefully pushed back.
Each and every condition of Yoo Il-seol’s defeated men were in horrible condition. All of them screamed in pain with their limbs bent in bizarre directions.
“Ugh!”
“P-Please! S-Spare me!”
Among them was Yoo Geonsang, Yoo Il-seok’s first son. He was the first to charge forward with determination but ended up sustaining injuries.
‘Rebound Force Qi.’1
Pyo-wol immediately recognized the true nature of the technique Tarha had just displayed.
It was an advanced technique that only a handful of absolute experts in Jianghu could execute.
This technique of returning the force of an opponent’s attack with a counterforce was the essence of martial arts.
“Oh my goodness!”
Yoo Il-seok was stunned as he realized the technique his opponent had just unleashed.
His opponent was a true master. The gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth. He was not someone he would dare mess with.
“E, Everyone back off.”
He shouted, but by then it was too late.
Tarha had charged through his attackers.
Kwang! Clang!
A series of explosive sounds reverberated.
Each time, a scream would come out of his men’s mouths as they fly backward.
All of them had their limbs twisted in grotesque ways or their chests caved in.
Yoo Il-seok felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare.
He had never imagined the situation would deteriorate so rapidly.
“Ack!”
“Ugh!”
In the blink of an eye, the room had turned into a hellish scene.
All of his men which count to a hundred were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
Tarha walked straight toward him.
“Eek! Please, spare me–!”
Yoo Il-seok unconsciously dropped to his knees.
He didn’t have time to care about his dignity nor other people’s stares.
He was willing to sacrifice everything as he kneel before Tarha.
Tarha’s eyes lit up as he looked at Yoo Il-seok.
“At least you’re not completely oblivious. I have a few questions for you.”
“P, Please feel free to ask any questions. I will do my best to answer, and if there’s something I don’t know, I will find a way to find out about it.”
“Ho-ho! Really?”
Tarha smiled as if pleased.
Yul Ayueon poured herself a drink and murmured,
“There’s no way those guys woiuld stand a chance against the Mara Sect.”2
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
Thank you for reading!
Rebound Force Qi. Raws: 반탄강기(反彈罡氣). 反弹 fǎntán – to bounce / to bounce back / to boomerang / to ricochet / rebound (of stock market etc) / bounce / backlash / negative repercussions 罡 gāng – stars of the Big Dipper that constitute the tail of the dipper 气 qì – gas; air / smell / weather / to make angry; to annoy; to get angry / vital energy; qi Mara Sect. Raws: 마라법부(魔羅法府) 魔 mó – devil / magic 羅 luó – gauze / to collect / to gather / to catch / to sift 法 fǎ – law / method / way / to emulate / (Buddhism) dharma / (abbr. for 法家) the Legalists / (physics) farad (abbr. for 法拉) 府 fǔ – seat of government / government repository (archive) / official residence / mansion / presidential palace / (honorific) Your home / prefecture (from Tang to Qing times)
