Episode 200
The little girl quickly explained again.
“The Baekrang Sword Gang refers to beggars who carry swords engraved with white wolves. They’ve fought and crushed the Haenampa pirates several times before. Could it be that you, Sir, are one of the Baekrang Sword Gang?”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Sun Woo-jin.
At that moment, it wasn’t Sun Woo-jin who reacted first, but the presence within him—Muk-rang.
The sword engraved with a white wolf?
Sun Woo-jin understood Muk-rang’s reaction immediately.
Among the five swords Muk-rang had left behind in the world, there was his own Muk-rang Sword, the Blood Wolf Sword of the Sword Master, the Bi-rang Sword held by Seo Il of the Poison Eye Ghost Sword, and the Broken Yellow Wolf Sword. The last remaining sword was the Seol-rang Sword.
Perhaps this Baekrang Sword Gang was the one who possessed the Seol-rang Sword.
Still, Sun Woo-jin decided to respond to Yoo Hae-eung’s words for now.
“There is no one among us called the Baekrang Sword Gang, nor do we know anyone by that name!”
Yoo Hae-eung, who had been silently watching Sun Woo-jin’s sword for a moment, suddenly shouted again.
“Then why did you attack the warriors of our Haenampa?!”
Sun Woo-jin shouted back.
“They were Haenampa warriors?! We thought they were pirates because they were pillaging the village and capturing women and children!”
At those words, it wasn’t Yoo Hae-eung who reacted, but Il Do-sal-gyeong Oh Ik-deok, who was on another ship.
He shouted in anger.
“What did you say?! They pillaged the village and took women and children? Is that true?!”
It seemed that not only Yoo Hae-eung but also Oh Ik-deok was different from those pirates.
Responding to Oh Ik-deok’s furious voice was Jeung Chil.
Having just been toyed with by Oh Ik-deok, Jeung Chil shouted back in anger.
“Are you blind?! Can’t you tell by the state of the village whether it’s true or not?! Or why don’t you ask this little girl? They even tried to capture a young girl like her!”
Oh Ik-deok’s face flushed red with rage.
Unable to contain himself, he shouted to his men.
“Let’s head to those bastards immediately! How dare they tarnish the honor of Haenampa! I’ll feed them to the sharks!”
He turned his ship and began heading toward the vessel that had been lingering in the open sea.
It was probably the same ship that had fled earlier.
Watching silently as he left, Yoo Hae-eung suddenly leapt forward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
He landed on the shore, stepping lightly over the crashing waves three times.
Though not as skilled in divine arts as Sun Woo-jin’s group, it was remarkable for a man of his size—comparable to Bae Jong-gwan—to move with such agility.
He walked confidently toward them, with Sun Woo-jin, Seol Poong, and Jeung Chil watching.
Up close, he was a man like a steel tower.
Muscular like Bae Jong-gwan, with a solemn face reminiscent of the taciturn 13th Grandmaster Poongyang.
He approached Sun Woo-jin’s group and suddenly bowed respectfully.
Then he apologized.
“Please forgive my rudeness. I have no right to offer thanks to those who have dealt with the scum of the Zapa, yet I have been disrespectful. On behalf of all Haenampa, I, Yoo Mo, offer you my sincere apologies.”
It was an apology so polite it was hard to believe it came from one of Haenampa’s top-tier warriors.
He seemed genuinely ashamed of the pirates among Haenampa and remorseful toward Sun Woo-jin’s group.
The three, tense and unsure of what would happen next, were instead taken aback by his sincerity.
Jeung Chil and Seol Poong exchanged glances, unsure what to say, and looked to Sun Woo-jin for a response.
Sun Woo-jin sighed and replied.
“This is a bit surprising. To see members of the same Haenampa showing such different faces…”
Yoo Hae-eung answered with a somber expression.
“I can only apologize for the shameful conduct of my faction.”
He seemed unwilling to reveal the inner turmoil of the Zapa.
Sun Woo-jin guessed that while Jin Tae-do of Haenampa was subjugating the pirates and strengthening Haenampa’s power, there was significant internal resistance.
That conflict was ongoing.
Sun Woo-jin sighed again.
“We are fine. No one was hurt. But what about this village? Won’t the other Haenampa members speak differently from you, Yoo Dae-hyup?”
He meant that after Yoo Hae-eung left, others might come back to take revenge.
Yoo Hae-eung answered solemnly.
“I swear on my honor that such a thing will never happen. I will station my men here to protect this place from further harm. Please trust me.”
Sun Woo-jin nodded.
At least, he didn’t seem to be lying.
Muk-rang also confirmed his sincerity.
He’s a rare, solid man—like a rock. I think we can trust him.
Sun Woo-jin nodded willingly.
“Understood. Then we will trust you, Yoo Dae-hyup.”
The little girl, who had been listening wide-eyed from behind, brightened at the news that Yoo Hae-eung would station men to protect the village.
She looked as if she wanted to cheer but was holding back.
Yoo Hae-eung silently gazed at the Muk-rang Sword wrapped in cloth, then suddenly spoke.
“If you happen to meet the Baekrang Sword Gang, please tell them this: Yoo Hae-eung of Haenampa wishes to speak quietly.”
Sun Woo-jin suddenly realized that Yoo Hae-eung wasn’t asking about their identities.
He probably still suspected that one of them might be the Baekrang Sword Gang.
That was why he deliberately avoided asking directly.
Sun Woo-jin simply nodded.
“If we meet them, we will be sure to pass on your message.”
Hearing this, Yoo Hae-eung nodded silently and turned to leave.
But he hesitated for a moment, unable to take a step.
After a pause, he spoke with difficulty.
“If it’s not for an important reason, I recommend you move inland rather than along the coast. The South Sea isn’t a very safe place to travel these days.”
With that, he leapt back onto his ship.
Sun Woo-jin’s group stood there, staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Seol Poong suddenly spoke.
“It can’t be easy to criticize your own sect. He seems like a decent man, but the situation is unfortunate.”
Sun Woo-jin nodded silently.
Jeung Chil scoffed.
“Hmph! But in the end, he’s still a pirate, isn’t he?”
Sun Woo-jin frowned and looked at Jeung Chil.
He felt they needed to have a serious talk.
Jeung Chil, sensing this, timidly asked.
“W-what? Why are you looking at me like that? I just let my guard down earlier. If I’d shown my true strength, those pirates would’ve been nothing…”
“Brother!”
The real problem was that he didn’t even realize it was his fault for starting the fight and running off first.
It looked like their conversation was going to be a long one.
Also, as Yoo Hae-eung had said, they would have to give up traveling near the coast.
For them, inexperienced in water combat, fighting at sea was too dangerous and difficult.
If they kept moving along the shore and ran into other Haenampa warriors again, they couldn’t count on luck like today.
Even though they had left the front lines, the threat still lingered.
At the main camp of the Biryong Corps on the front lines.
Je Gal Ji-gang, who was overseeing the front line operations, frowned upon receiving an unexpected report from Biryong Commander Gwan Gu-bung.
“The remaining members of the 13th Grand Sect’s 7th Squad, including their leader, Jeom Chang Geom-ryong Sa Gun-il, have all disappeared at once?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The 7th Squad members told those around them they were going to search for their missing comrades, and Sa Gun-il left behind a letter resembling a farewell note.”
“A farewell note?”
Je Gal Ji-gang asked again, and Commander Gwan Gu-bung answered with a troubled expression.
“Yes… it said something like this: ‘I don’t see the point in just holding the ground and sacrificing comrades. We can no longer rely on the Martial Alliance to avenge the Jeomchang Sect. We will take revenge ourselves.’”
Je Gal Ji-gang’s eyes twitched slightly.
How arrogant.
Daring to question the Martial Alliance’s plans, and leaving such a letter to incite others.
If they hadn’t disappeared, he would have been tempted to send the Shadow Squad to assassinate them immediately.
Trying hard to keep his composure, Je Gal Ji-gang asked again.
“Are you certain they’re dead? Or at least that they went to confront the Blood Sect? Isn’t it possible they deserted under the guise of that?”
Commander Gwan Gu-bung’s expression hardened slightly.
“There have been no reports of sightings behind the lines. Of course, they are all formidable warriors, so it’s possible they slipped away unnoticed. But they were all warriors who willingly entered the front lines to fight the Blood Sect. I don’t believe they would abandon their comrades and desert secretly, sir.”
Gwan Gu-bung seemed deeply hurt that Je Gal Ji-gang had doubted the front-line troops.
Noticing this, Je Gal Ji-gang smiled gently and nodded.
“You’re right. That was a careless remark on my part, Commander Gwan. My apologies.”
At Je Gal Ji-gang’s straightforward apology, Gwan Gu-bung was taken aback and quickly bowed his head.
“No, sir. I— I’m the one who should apologize.”
“No, no. That wasn’t my intention. But in the end, it was as if I doubted the unity of those on the front lines, wasn’t it? So yes, my words were careless. Please just pretend you never heard them. Now, you may leave.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
Gwan Gu-bung left Je Gal Ji-gang’s office with a look of relief and gratitude.
But as he watched the man’s back, Je Gal Ji-gang’s eyes grew cold and hard.
Once Gwan Gu-bung was gone, he muttered to himself, “Something’s definitely off.”
It was an uncanny coincidence.
First, the fact that the seven remaining members had vanished just as Je Gal Ji-gang had resolved to eliminate them all.
Then, the mysterious disappearance of Sa Gun-il, the Pointed Sword Dragon of the Black Army, who seemed unrelated to the others.
This strange alignment brought back a memory for Je Gal Ji-gang—one he’d rather forget.
The time when Sword Saint Hae Un-baek had started acting outside of his calculations…
That memory had left a deep lesson etched in his mind.
If something feels wrong, even if you can’t pinpoint why, it’s better to deal with it preemptively.
Back then, ignoring that uneasy feeling had led to bitter consequences.
Now, his gaze sharpened with deadly resolve as he muttered, “There’s no need to endure a repeat of that. The Flying Dragon Thirteen…”
He didn’t finish the sentence aloud but instead raised his voice to summon his trusted enforcers.
“Call the leaders of the Black Tiger, Black Wolf, and Black Dragon squads!”
He hadn’t yet finished sorting out the key figures loyal to the Overlord among these three military units he still considered his own.
But Je Gal Ji-gang didn’t care.
In fact, these orders gave him a perfect opportunity to weed them out.
‘Being on the front lines makes this easier. I just need to catch anyone trying to contact the Overlord’s faction.’
There was also the advantage of a clean cover-up.
Unlike the Overlord’s faction, where evidence and witnesses had to be meticulously fabricated, he could simply pin all this on the Blood Cultists.
Je Gal Ji-gang let out a cold, bitter smile and whispered, “I’ll erase the entire Flying Dragon Thirteen.”
Indeed, a crisis was looming over the Flying Dragon Thirteen, now without Sun Woo-jin and the seven missing members.