Chapter 36: The Difference in Rank (2)

Yeon Ho-jung looked around the first floor of the pavilion.

As expected, there was no one in the pavilion. It seemed they had all been driven away, which explained why this place was so cold and empty.

"Hmm."

He sensed some movement from the kitchen. Judging by the lack of inner strength, they seemed to be the skilled cooks and waiters.

Dang Yang-xian's lips twitched.

"Why? Surprised?"

Surprised, indeed.

The killing intent Dang Yang-xian had displayed in the banquet hall was real. Even a decent expert would feel fear under such intense killing intent.

Yet, this guy was waiting for him in this pavilion.

At the very least, his mental fortitude deserved some recognition. It was something the Chang Ying team members could learn from.

"Seems one arm wasn't enough."

"What, what do you mean?"

Dang Yang-xian's face turned beet red in an instant.

Yeon Ho-jung ignored him and headed towards the kitchen.

"Hey."

"Ah! Yes, yes!"

In the corner of the kitchen, the skilled cooks and waiters were trembling.

Yeon Ho-jung took out ten silver coins from his pocket.

"Please prepare some food for about thirty soldiers and myself. Anything quick will do."

"…Eh?"

"Keep the change."

At that moment, a sharp cry broke out.

"Hey! You bastard!"

Yeon Ho-jung turned to look at Dang Yang-xian.

Crack!

Anger flared as Dang Yang-xian kicked the table and stood up. A terrifying poison aura enveloped his entire body.

"Garbage, how dare you ignore me?"

Yeon Ho-jung asked.

"Where did you drive everyone off to?"

Dang Yang-xian spat.

"What do I care, you fools."

As he had felt at the banquet, Dang Yang-xian's personality was indeed problematic.

He looked down on everyone except himself, believing that his status was inherently different.

Even as the eldest son of a renowned family, this was extreme. It was almost as if his parents had deliberately raised him to be a cruel person.

'Well,'

His family specialized in poisons and hidden weapons. The ruthless methods they used had a significant impact on one's mindset. Living like a prince in such a family, it wasn't hard to understand.

"So? Did you want revenge?"

"Revenge? Don't make me laugh, garbage. This isn't revenge; it's execution."

Execution?

Hum.

Dang Yang-xian's eyes turned purple. He had pushed the Three Yang Technique to its limit.

"Whatever trick you used won't work this time. I'll make you scream for four days and nights until you die."

Yeon Ho-jung smirked.

He was planning to kill the eldest son of a family renowned as one of the Seven Great Clans, not because he had the ability to do so, but simply because he was in a bad mood.

Bloodshot veins appeared in Dang Yang-xian's whites of the eyes.

"Laughing? How dare you?"

"This guy!"

Yeon Ho-jung looked around the kitchen. The skilled cooks and waiters were still trembling.

"Didn't you get the order?"

How could they dare to cook with the eldest son of the notorious Sichuan Dang family present?

Yeon Ho-jung sighed.

"I'll have to clean up first."

Dang Yang-xian, who had been trembling, suddenly laughed coldly.

"Stupid bastard."

Yeon Ho-jung turned his shoulder without a word. His muscles were still tense, but not as much as before.

Hum.

A denser poison aura spread from Dang Yang-xian's body.

"You're already poisoned, idiot."

"Poisoned?"

"I released the Factory Yin Poison. You low-level guys can't even feel it…"

Crack!

Dang Yang-xian's mouth opened wide.

Yeon Ho-jung, who had approached at close range, struck his abdomen.

This blow was explosive. It was so powerful that Yeon Ho-jung's fist sank into Dang Yang-xian's abdomen up to the wrist.

"Kweeek!"

Dang Yang-xian collapsed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

But it didn't end there. His internal organs were also damaged. If Yeon Ho-jung hadn't held back at the last moment, his intestines would have been shredded. He would have died in the true agony of a ruptured intestine.

Of course, it was still excruciatingly painful.

"Cough! Ahh!"

Dang Yang-xian clutched his abdomen and rolled on the ground.

The pain was uncontrollable even with inner strength. This blow was intended to cause maximum pain, not to kill.

Despite the intense pain, Dang Yang-xian couldn't hide his confusion.

'Why?'

The Factory Yin Poison was colorless and odorless. On its own, it had little effect.

Three Yang Technique.

When combined with the poison aura of the Three Yang Technique at its peak, the Factory Yin Poison would render the opponent uncontrollable. Yet, despite being exposed to the Three Yang Poison, the opponent was unharmed.

'Why? Why?'

Crack!

Dang Yang-xian's eyes widened.

"Ah!"

His splinted right arm broke again. Yeon Ho-jung had stepped on it, breaking it once more.

It was a cruel attack.

At that moment, there was a sudden movement on the third floor of the pavilion.

"Stop! Stop!"

Crack!

Those who had come down to the first floor were Han Ho-ming, the leader of the Poison Dragon Iron Whip, and a squad of the Red Spider Team, who had been guarding Dang Yang-xian.

Dang Yang-xian had insisted on handling it alone, so they had no choice but to hide on the top floor. Still, they had felt somewhat reassured because the Factory Yin Poison had been released.

But they hadn't expected the fight to be over in one blow.

Han Ho-ming shouted.

"Protect the young master immediately!"

Crunch.

Yeon Ho-jung stepped on Dang Yang-xian's neck.

Dang Yang-xian's neck turned blue instantly. He couldn't even breathe amidst the pain.

No, it wasn't just about breathing. If more pressure was applied, Dang Yang-xian's neck would break, killing him instantly.

Han Ho-ming and the Red Spider Team members turned pale.

Yeon Ho-jung pointed at Han Ho-ming.

"You."

"…?!"

"Come forward."

Han Ho-ming trembled.

A blue aura formed in Yeon Ho-jung's pupils.

Crunch.

"Gurgle."

Dang Yang-xian's eyes rolled back. He was on the verge of suffocating to death.

"Stop! I'll go! I'll go, so stop!"

Yeon Ho-jung released the pressure from his foot. Dang Yang-xian gasped for breath.

Han Ho-ming, tense, approached Yeon Ho-jung.

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a strong temptation. If he got close enough to the opponent, he could ambush and separate Dang Yang-xian.

Yeon Ho-jung extended his hand.

"Stop thinking nonsense and hand over the thick iron whip tied around your waist."

"…?!"

Yeon Ho-jung didn't give him time to think.

Crack! Crack!

"Ugh!"

Dang Yang-xian's right leg broke.

Han Ho-ming's face turned black.

"I'll give it! I'll give it!"

He hurriedly handed over the whip. It was an iron whip with sharp pieces embedded in the flexible metal.

Yeon Ho-jung, having received the iron whip, suddenly struck a blow.

Wham!

"Choke!"

Han Ho-ming flew towards the Red Spider Team.

It was a swift and precise ambush. No matter how skilled Han Ho-ming was, it was difficult to block such an attack in this situation.

The Red Spider Team members awkwardly caught the flying Han Ho-ming.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jung moved.

Swoosh!

The iron whip, held in his hand, released a chilling sound.

"What, what is this?"

"Be careful!"

The remaining Red Spider Team members, except for the three who had caught Han Ho-ming, reached into their pockets to draw their hidden weapons.

Killing intent flashed in Yeon Ho-jung's eyes.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Blood splattered on the floor and walls.

There were no screams. The iron whip, like a living venomous snake, mercilessly entangled and felled the Red Spider Team members.

'What?'

Han Ho-ming's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Whirr! Wham! Crack!

The movement of the iron whip was beyond imagination.

It was impossible to gauge how he wielded it. It was hard to tell if it was a specific technique or something else. It seemed like dozens of iron whips were writhing in the air.

Splat!

The Red Spider Team squad fell, spewing blood.

The space was narrow, leaving no room to dodge. But that made it even more impressive.

Using a difficult weapon like the iron whip and adjusting it perfectly in a confined space to fell the enemy was something even Han Ho-ming couldn't do.

'What am I seeing?'

Yeon Ho-jung's whip technique had reached a terrifying level. No, it wasn't just a whip technique. It was similar but far more cruel.

'How is this possible?'

No matter what martial technique it was, the overwhelming power left one speechless. To fell the entire Red Spider Team before they could even draw their hidden weapons?

A divine skill with weapons. However, Yeon Ho-jung didn't seem satisfied, frowning.

'If it had been a chain, it would have been better.'

The martial technique he could wield most confidently was the axe and chain. He had often used an axe with a chain attached to break through enemies or used a single chain to eliminate an entire enemy unit.

'I should get a chain later.'

Yeon Ho-jung, who had rendered nearly twenty enemies combat-ineffective in the blink of an eye, casually threw the iron whip.

Killing intent flashed in Han Ho-ming's eyes.

His weapon had been used against his allies. That alone was infuriating, but to throw it away as if it were a worthless object?

"This guy!"

Crack!

Han Ho-ming's hand swung towards Yeon Ho-jung's back. At this point, it didn't matter that the opponent was a member of the Yan family.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-jung grabbed Dang Yang-xian's ankle.

Wham!

Dang Yang-xian's eyes widened. Han Ho-ming's face turned pale.

Han Ho-ming's palm was about to strike Dang Yang-xian's lumbar vertebrae.

Crack.

"Ah!"

Dang Yang-xian collapsed.

A crack appeared in his lumbar vertebrae. Was it fortunate that it didn't break? But if not treated quickly, he would be paralyzed for life.

Yeon Ho-jung clicked his tongue.

"Not only did you knock out your allies, but you also tried to cripple your master? Well, you must have built up a lot of resentment working under such a guy."

"…!!"

"If the Dang family head sees the injuries of these guys and still promotes you, it would be a good thing. You must have suffered a lot."

Han Ho-ming's face turned blank.

Dang Yang-xian, half-conscious, mumbled.

"Y-You, why are you…?!"

Wham!

Yeon Ho-jung's kick rendered Dang Yang-xian unconscious.

Han Ho-ming was also unconscious. He didn't need to be knocked out; he had already fainted.

Yeon Ho-jung squatted in front of them.

"Do you want to live?"

"…!"

"I'll tell you how to survive. Answer my questions first."

Han Ho-ming looked at Yeon Ho-jung with a hopeless expression.

"Thinking about it, it's quite strange. Neither you nor your master has traveled around the Central Plains. It would be hard for you to know we were heading this way. It's quite far from Hefei."

"…?!"

"Did you hire a good informant? It wouldn't be easy, but if you were determined, you could do it. But it's only been two days, as that fool said."

"That, that is…!"

"Let's not make things difficult."

Killing intent flashed in Yeon Ho-jung's eyes.

"Who did you hear we were heading this way from?"

* * *

"Ah! Young Master?"

"Why?"

"O-Oh, there's blood on your clothes…?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Take this. There's a lot. Oh, Second Young Master has already passed out."

It was impossible not to worry.

Shen Mo's eyes turned fierce.

"Could it be, Nangong?"

He had only recently heard about why the Young Master had escalated the incident so much yesterday. If he was willing to have someone do such a thing, it was likely Nangong Xian this time as well.

Yeon Ho-jung smirked.

"You don't have to worry now."

Shen Mo felt a chill.

"Could it be…"

"Hey, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have killed that guy. I'd rather cripple him."

Isn't that even more terrifying?

Yeon Ho-jung looked towards the pavilion.

"Sometimes, the tongue can be more terrifying than a sword."