Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1639

Ho Gamyung wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt. His body throbbed, but the pain was starting to fade. The world around him seemed to drift further away.

Strangely, he didn’t feel angry or even hopeless. He just felt a deep sadness, thinking that his family must have suffered like this too.

Would dying be a kindness? Would it be a way to escape the terrible sadness that burned inside him like black fire?

Scritch.

Something sliced across his face.

“You have no fear… daring to utter the Lord’s name with that tongue?”

His vision was blurred, but the madness in the man’s eyes was clear. The man was so angry, like Ho Gamyung had ruined something holy. Ho Gamyung almost laughed, even though he was in danger.

“You can’t die yet. Wake up. I’ll show you just how cruel the White Demon Hall can be.”

A cold blade touched Ho Gamyung’s neck. His body was so numb, he could barely feel the knife. He just tried to spit out the blood pooling in his mouth when he heard a voice.

His ears must have been damaged; it was as if he were hearing sounds from underwater.

“What is it?”

“This whelp was looking for the Lord, wasn’t he? So I was teaching him a lesson.”

“You… you stupid bastard!”

“Yes?”

“Have you forgotten the Lord’s order? We have to bring anyone who wants to see him alive!”

Ho Gamyung blinked his swollen eyes slowly.

The face of the man who had been torturing him like a demon from hell was now ashen. Meanwhile, the knife at Ho Gamyung’s neck remained, and with every tremor of the man’s hand, a red line appeared on his skin.

“I, I forgot…”

“You damned fool!”

Wham!

The scolding man, finally giving in to his rage, struck the other man across the face. He even ground his teeth as he watched the man fall.

“If you’re going to die, do it alone, you pathetic idiot!”

The man, still seething with anger, turned to examine Ho Gamyung. His face, as he checked Ho Gamyung’s condition, was filled with fear.

A sigh of relief escaped him.

“…He’s still breathing.”

He awkwardly slung the bloodied Ho Gamyung over his shoulder and began to walk.

Thud.

Had he lost consciousness in that short time? He awoke to the impact of being thrown onto the floor. Ho Gamyung opened his eyes with difficulty.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

The surroundings were dark. Was it night? Or was he in a room without light?

All he could see were the deep, dark shadows and the faint flickering of lamplight within them.

After a moment of adjusting to the darkness, he could tell where he had been taken.

It was a large room, but without any furniture or belongings, it seemed more like a storeroom or warehouse. Dozens of men were sprawled about in the desolate space.

Broken bottles lay scattered on the floor, glinting in the dim light. An acrid smell stung his nose. Some leaned against the walls with glazed eyes, while others staggered about, seemingly on the verge of collapse, yet unable to let go of their bottles.

It was a terrible scene. Men were lying around like broken dolls. The air smelled of old wine and despair. This place was filled with sadness and ruin.

Ho Gamyung could not speak. He had never seen anything like this before. It was worse than his worst nightmares.

Then, a voice grabbed his attention.

“What is it?”

The first impression he got from the voice was… strange.

It was bright yet dark, high yet low.

And beyond all those qualities… it was rough. Though it was just a short question, it felt as though the savagery of a beast’s claw, honed haphazardly, permeated it.

It was a ferocity that would instinctively make any human with blood in their veins cower.

“He says he’s here to see the Lord.”

“Me?”

A man slowly rose from among the sprawled figures.

Ho Gamyung stared at him through swollen eyes.

His first impression was ‘delicate.’ Even though his build didn’t quite fit the word, and despite the ferocity in his voice. The slightly gaunt man walked towards him very leisurely.

More striking than his languid gait was the man’s pale face, illuminated by the lamplight. It was completely out of place here. It was a face even more scholarly than Ho Gamyung’s, who had lived as a Confucian scholar.

The long eyes in that pale, almost ghostly face glanced down at Ho Gamyung.

“So, corpses can talk.”

“I, I’m still alive…”

“Ah, is that so?”

The pale-faced man’s eyes curved into a beautiful crescent moon. And then…

Thwack!

“Aaaaargh!”

A small dagger, no bigger than a child’s palm, appeared in the man’s hand and mercilessly plunged into the stomach of the man who had carried Ho Gamyung.

“Be still.”

“L, Lord! Forgive me! Please, please!”

“I am forgiving you. If I weren’t, it would be in your neck, wouldn’t it?”

A ferocious light flickered in the white-faced man’s eyes. The splattered blood dotted his pale face.

“Don’t squirm. If you annoy me any more, I might just tear your throat out. Ah, and don’t scream. It dirties my ears.”

The white-faced man, having mercilessly gutted the man with the dagger, couldn’t hide the look of contempt as he watched him fall.

“Worthless things.”

“Guh, guh… I’m sorry…”

The white-faced man quickly lost interest in the fallen man and turned his gaze back to Ho Gamyung.

A displeased expression flickered across his pale face.

“He might have brought something interesting…”

He shook off the blood on his hand as if it were dirty and bared his teeth. He looked almost like a wolf catching the scent of blood.

“At this rate, it would be better to call a Taoist priest and perform a soul summoning. Just go bury him…”

At that moment, Ho Gamyung’s body twitched. At the same time, a look of interest flashed in the man’s eyes.

“Hmm?”

Anyone could see that he was in no condition to move, and it wouldn’t be strange if he stopped breathing at any moment. Yet, Ho Gamyung trembled and somehow managed to sit up. He even sat cross-legged and looked directly at the white-faced man.

Was it the venom and determination glimpsed in that moment that piqued his interest? The white-faced man’s eyes sparkled.

“Interesting. You came to see me?”

Ho Gamyung nodded with difficulty.

“Who are you?”

“…Ho Gamyung.”

“Ho, is it…”

The white-faced man murmured for a moment, then bared his teeth and smiled.

“If it’s the Ho family from around here, there was a famous one, wasn’t there? The one whose entire family was slaughtered overnight by a band of robbers?”

“…”

“Ah, that’s just the rumor that’s been spread. The truth is that the pig-like Royal Teacher used some trickery to burn down the foundation of the family, wasn’t it? Yes… because they criticized the Royal Teacher’s abuse of power?”

Ho Gamyung’s shoulders twitched slightly.

“Is that right?”

He nodded again. Whether it was the pain in his body that made it so difficult, or the great sorrow in his heart, even that small movement was truly burdensome.

“So, you’re the son that Ho Kyung cherished so much, the head of that Ho family. The one who went to study in Beijing.”

The white-faced man chuckled mockingly.

“Yes. What brings this great man to me?”

Ho Gamyung’s eyes flashed with a fierce venom.

“I’ve come… to make a deal.”

“A deal?”

The white face twisted slightly.

“What I desire… is revenge.”

“Revenge… against the Royal Preceptor? The one who destroyed your family?”

Ho Gamyung nodded.

“Hmm. And the price?”

“The price is wealth. Wealth beyond your wildest dreams.”

“Wealth beyond imagination… That is a bold claim. Tell me more.”

Ho Gamyung gritted his teeth and nodded again.

“Your name was Ho Gamyung, if I recall?”

“Yes…”

“Ho Gamyung. Do you know who I am?”

“Baekahn… Ghost, Jang Il-so.”

Jang Il-so raised an eyebrow. “Hoo? You know my name.”

“I’ve heard that in Guiju, there is only one who will do anything if the price is right. One who does not care about their target or purpose, a ghost who ignores morality and compassion.”

The man with the pale face laughed, amused. “You know me well.”

Thwack.

Instantly, Ho Gamyung’s body flew backward. Jang Il-so, his face full of eerie energy, approached.

“You pig.”

Thud. Thud.

He crushed Ho Gamyung’s outstretched hand into the ground. Crack. Crack. Bones shattered, and flesh tore. Ho Gamyung convulsed, unable to scream. A voice filled with violent energy fell from above.

“You guessed right, but you missed one thing.”

“Ugh…”

“Wealth? You’d pay me with something like that? With that?”

Ho Gamyung’s body trembled.

Jang Il-so grabbed Ho Gamyung by the hair and lifted him. He glared at him with blazing eyes, ready to attack. “You must think I’m a joke. Did you think I’d become your dog if you threw a few coins at me?”

Thwack.

Ho Gamyung slammed into the wall. Jang Il-so stomped on his ankle. Crack! “Ugh… Aargh!” Ho Gamyung screamed, his eyes rolling back.

“A deal needs to be interesting to *me*, not just you.”

“Ugh…”

“You stupid bastard.”

Snap!

Jang Il-so broke his ankle, glanced at Ho Gamyung, and turned away. “I thought you might have brought something interesting.”

The burly men watched the scene. One asked, “…What should we do with him, Master?”

“Clean him up, but don’t kill him.”

“Yes.”

The subordinate stopped. Jang Il-so’s orders were absolute, but now, his subordinate hesitated. Jang Il-so looked back, a strange emotion in his pale eyes.

Ho Gamyung, thought to be unconscious, was getting up. Trembling, he sat up, brought his knees together, and tried to sit formally. Because his ankle was broken, he grabbed the broken area tightly. Crack! A gruesome sound was heard.

Ho Gamyung returned his broken foot to its original position, took a perfect seated posture, and slowly lowered his head. A subdued voice broke the silence. “Then… what is it… that you desire…”

Jang Il-so’s eyes narrowed.

“Whether it be my body… or my soul, whatever it may be…” Ho Gamyung’s head touched the ground.

“I’m a fool, I don’t know what you want. Just tell me.” Ho Gamyung raised his head and looked at Jang Il-so. “What must I give? What must I do for you to carry out my revenge?”

The men felt a chill down their spines at the look in Ho Gamyung’s eyes.

“I beg you.” Ho Gamyung lowered his head again. Jang Il-so opened his mouth. “Is there a reason to go this far? I heard you are favored by the Prince? Even if the Prince cannot deal with the Royal Preceptor now, soon his power will be able to crush the Royal Preceptor, no?”

“……”

“Is there a reason to throw everything away and do this for something that will be achieved just by waiting?”

Ho Gamyung looked straight at Jang Il-so. “……Not now.”

“Hmm?”

“Sometime, when I have the opportunity, after I have cultivated sufficient power.” Grind. Ho Gamyung gritted his teeth. The tendons in his jaw bulged.

“What meaning is there in revenge achieved with such cheap pity!” A voice pierced Jang Il-so’s ears.

“If I can do it with my own hands, I will achieve it even if I have to tear off my own flesh. If I cannot do it with my own hands, I will bite him to pieces even if I become a demon. But if even that is not possible!” Bloodshot eyes stared at Jang Il-so.

“I will have no choice but to find someone who will kill him in the most painful way possible.” Ho Gamyung’s head lowered again.

“Please. Please…”

“……”

Jang Il-so stared at him. “What a pathetic reason.”

“……”

“Believing that I will listen if you are desperate is the self-consolation of vermin.”

Ho Gamyung’s body trembled.

“But…” Ho Gamyung raised his head and saw the corners of Jang Il-so’s lips curving up gently. Surprisingly, that smile looked innocent.

“Something I want has appeared. I’ll accept it, this deal. But…” Jang Il-so’s eyes sparkled. “The price for it will be very expensive, you bookworm.”

In those bright eyes, the dazed figure of Ho Gamyung was reflected.