Chapter 785: Let’s Have Some Fun (Part 5)

 

Nanjing.

“Damn it, the tiles aren’t falling in my favor today!”

Ko Tae, annoyed, tossed the game tiles on the table and scratched his head in frustration.

“Heh heh. There are days like that.”

“What? Days like that? It’d be quicker to find days when things go my way!”

Still fuming, he stood up abruptly.

“I’m done for today.”

“It’s only evening, and you’re quitting already?”

“If I keep going, I’ll just keep losing. What, you want to rob me blind?”

“Rob you? Didn’t you win last time?”

“Like that even matters now!”

He glared at the person across from him, then kicked his chair angrily.

“Anyway, I’m out. You guys enjoy yourselves.”

“Where are you going? Did you forget you’re on duty today?”

“How many of us need to be in this tiny gambling den? I’ll go collect the protection fees; you guys can keep watch.”

“Tsk, tsk. Always with that temper.”

Ignoring the muttering behind him, Ko Tae grabbed the staff he had casually tossed aside and stormed out of the gambling den.

As he walked through the narrow alleyways, the sounds of the bustling market filled the air.

“Fresh fruit! Come try a bite!”

“Get your pancakes here!”

“Exquisite fabrics from the Western regions! Come take a look!”

Ko Tae glanced around and frowned, striding purposefully toward a vendor.

“Hey, old man!”

“Y-Yes! Welcome... uh...”

The merchant’s face twisted with discomfort upon seeing Ko Tae, but he quickly put on a forced smile.

“W-What brings you here?”

“How’s business?”

“Haha... business is always the same. But thanks to your protection, I’m scraping by.”

“Is that so?”

Ko Tae smirked.

“You’re scraping by, but I can’t even afford bark to chew on.”

“W-What do you mean by that...?”

“What do you think I mean?!”

Bam!

He kicked over the old man’s goods without mercy.

“Agh!”

“If you’ve made some money, you should be paying the protection fee! Do you think you can just pocket everything yourself? Your stall’s rent is already three months overdue!”

“Agh, sir... I really don’t have the money...”

“No money? Then pack up and stop selling! If you can’t even afford rent, what’s the point of running a business? You’d be better off chopping wood in the mountains!”

“P-Please, just one more month...”

“And you think I’ve been living off the land for free?”

Bam!

Ko Tae kicked the cart again, sending the old man’s goods flying.

“I’ve already given you two extra months out of the kindness of my heart, and now you’re asking for more? Do you want to die, old man? Do you think our Gwigalpa is a joke?”

“No, no! I’d never think that!”

“If you can’t pay, hand over some goods!”

Ko Tae stomped over to the cart and grabbed it. The merchant, terrified, clung to Ko Tae’s clothes, pleading desperately.

“If you take this, my family will starve! Please, I promise I’ll pay next month...!”

“Are you crazy?!”

Thud!

Ko Tae kicked the merchant hard in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground with a groan. He shook off the merchant’s grip on his clothes in disgust.

“This is why you should never trust beggars like you. When you started, you promised you’d pay on time, and now you’re making me out to be the bad guy? I gave you two extra months! If I have to feed your kids, mine will starve!”

The surrounding vendors glanced over nervously, murmuring among themselves.

“What’s going on again?”

“I don’t know. That crazy bastard probably lost at gambling again. It’s not the first time.”

“...How long do we have to put up with this...?”

Complaints and sighs escaped the lips of those watching, but none had the courage to intervene.

The ordinary vendors had no chance against a rogue like Ko Tae, a member of Gwigalpa. Just the sight of the staff hanging by his side was enough to send shivers down their spines.

As the elderly merchant tried to cling to Ko Tae again, only to be kicked aside once more, the onlookers couldn’t bear to watch and closed their eyes tightly.

“Might as well give up and quit this trade.”

“Quit? How would we survive if we stop selling?”

“We could try farming on the mountains.”

“Farming? There are bandits in the mountains too! Is there anywhere without bandits?”

“...Damn it.”

At that moment, Ko Tae gripped the cart with one hand and looked around menacingly.

“Who’s squeaking like a rat?!”

At his fierce gaze, the other vendors quickly shut their mouths and lowered their eyes. A tense silence followed.

“Starting this month, anyone who doesn’t pay the rent on time is getting kicked out! You think you can eat your fill and then pay with whatever’s left over?”

“Of course not, sir...”

“And from next month, the rent’s going up by fifty percent. So be ready for that.”

“Oh, no, sir! You can’t just—”

“It’s not my decision; it’s what our boss wants. So stop whining and get the money ready in time!”

Glaring at the crowd, Ko Tae turned to drag the cart away.

“Y-You can’t take that!”

The old merchant, bleeding from the mouth, grabbed onto Ko Tae’s pants again.

“Do you want to die, old man?”

“If you take this, my family really will die. Either way, we’re dead. Please... I beg you...”

“Oh, is that so? Either way, you’re dead?”

Ko Tae let go of the cart and pulled out the staff hanging from his waist.

The moment they heard the staff’s soft metallic hiss, the surrounding merchants flinched in terror, their faces filled with dread.

“Someone, stop him!”

“No, no! Sir, please!”

“Old man!”

The bystanders cried out in fear, but the merchant clung on, shouting in defiance.

“Fine! Just kill me, you bastard! How much do you think I make selling here? You take everything I earn! I don’t want to live like this! Just kill me!”

“Well, would you look at this?”

Thud!

Ko Tae kicked the merchant hard in the chest again, then gripped his staff tightly.

“All right, you want to die? Then today’s your funeral!”

Just as he raised his staff to strike, a voice rang out.

“Stop.”

“...”

At the sound of the voice, Ko Tae slowly turned his head.

He wouldn’t have bothered with the cries of the other merchants, but this voice carried a weight of authority, infused with inner energy.

Sure enough, a group of men dressed in blue martial robes were approaching.

“Tsk.”

Ko Tae spat on the ground, his gaze filled with irritation as he glared at the newcomers.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the proud members of Chui-eumun. What brings you here?”

“Stand down.”

“Stand down?”

Ko Tae sneered, a mocking grin spreading across his face.

“The ones who should be standing down are you. Did you forget this is our territory? Since when does Chui-eumun have the right to step into our district?”

The stern-looking middle-aged man leading the group stared coldly at Ko Tae.

“Your territory?”

“That’s right, our territory. Did you forget the agreement not to trespass on each other’s turf? Or are you looking for a war?”

Instead of answering, the man merely gave Ko Tae a long, unreadable look. Emboldened, Ko Tae continued.

“What’s the matter? Does even the famous Nanjing’s Swift Sword feel a chill at the thought of war?”

“War...”

A twisted smile appeared on the lips of Cho Sang-gil, Nanjing’s Swift Sword.

“We can manage that.”

“What?”

Ko Tae was momentarily thrown off.

‘Has this guy lost his mind?’

There had been a longstanding truce between Chui-eumun and Gwigalpa, with both sides agreeing not to encroach on each other’s territories. That’s how they had coexisted, each minding their own business in Nanjing.

But today, out of nowhere, Chui-eumun had invaded their district with their disciples in tow.

“What’s going on?”

“Those bastards! Who do they think they are?!”

The members of Gwigalpa, who had been inside the gambling den, came rushing out after hearing the news. Meanwhile, more disciples of Chui-eumun began to gather behind their leader.

The market square was quickly filled with tension, the disciples from both sects glaring at each other with hostility.

“So the great Nanjing’s Swift Sword has grown bold, I see.”

“It’s not boldness. It’s common sense.”

“What did you just say?”

Cho Sang-gil sneered.

“The only reason we’ve tolerated your gang’s antics is because you’ve had the support of the Eighteen Pirate Factions. Surely you didn’t think we’ve been putting up with you because we’re scared of you?”

“You bastard...”

"But now that’s over."

"What... what do you mean?"

"Wudang and Shaolin are wiping out the Eighteen Pirate Factions. That means the pirate factions' time is up."

"..."

"So now, we have no reason to tolerate scum like you. From today onwards, there will be no place for you in Nanjing! I’m giving you one last chance: pack up and get out of here. If you don’t, every one of you will die today."

Ko Tae’s face twisted with shock. This was an unexpected turn of events.

‘Are these bastards really serious?’

Was he really threatening war?

This wasn’t something Ko Tae could decide on his own. It was a decision that had to be made by someone higher up...

"Three."

"W-Wait, Cho Sang-gil!"

"Two."

"You can’t be serious!"

"One. Attack! Today, we drive Gwigalpa out of Nanjing!"

"Yes, sir!"

Without giving Ko Tae a chance to respond, Cho Sang-gil gave the order. His disciples, already prepared, drew their swords and charged at the members of Gwigalpa.

"Kill them all!"

"Those bastards! Did they really think we’ve been holding back because we’re weak?"

As the disciples of Chui-eumun rushed in, the members of Gwigalpa also drew their weapons in a frenzy.

"What are you waiting for? Kill those pampered bastards!"

"Do they think they can just walk all over us?"

"Kill them all!"

Swords and blades clashed in the middle of the marketplace, turning it into a chaotic battlefield as blood splattered everywhere.

"A-Ah! What the hell is going on?!"

The vendors, terrified, scattered in all directions.

But the two sects continued their fierce battle, completely disregarding the chaos they were causing.

‘This is a full-scale war.’

‘Nothing like this has happened in over ten years.’

‘Chui-eumun has finally drawn their swords!’

In one corner of the marketplace, a beggar who had been quietly observing the situation stood up with a serious expression.

"A war...?"

This wasn’t just a simple skirmish. They were fighting for dominance. No matter who won, the balance of power in Nanjing would shift dramatically.

‘I need to report this quickly.’

The beggar sprinted off toward his hideout.

The relatively peaceful city of Nanjing had suddenly been thrown into turmoil.

And this wasn’t happening only in Nanjing.

In any city where the orthodox sects and the unorthodox factions coexisted, similar battles were breaking out.

The once-calm waters of the martial world had begun to stir.

The large stone thrown into the Yangtze River wasn’t just shaking the river—it was rippling out and shaking all of Jianghu.

Messenger pigeons flew non-stop, carrying letters to the central headquarters of the Beggars’ Sect, delivering news of the upheaval spreading across the land.