Chapter 63
Tap—
Eun Sowol’s mouth opened wide in surprise, and the partially chewed candy she was eating fell out.
‘S-Sadoren? What the hell…!’
If the Martial Alliance was the righteous group, then the Sadoren belonged to the shady side.
Sadoren was the biggest union of the shady groups, basically a den for all kinds of criminals.
Later, when the Dark Cult became powerful, the Martial Alliance and the Sadoren had no choice but to join forces and fight the cult together…
‘That place is full of crazy people!’
Eun Sowol was shocked beyond belief to learn the identity of the loser.
“Hey, don’t drop that! Eat it properly. It’s sticky on your clothes.”
While Eun Sowol was shocked with her mouth wide open, Dok Goryong calmly put the candy that Eun Sowol dropped back into her small mouth without hesitation.
Pungryang cleared his throat, looking at the two with opposite reactions.
“Cough, cough. Don’t you know what the Sadoren is? Even a five-year-old would know.”
“How long have you been eating sword rice? Surely you’d know Sadoren.”
“For someone like you, your reaction is a bit…”
“Well, what? Shouldn’t I be surprised?”
Usually, people would be surprised!
Eun Sowol and Pungryang stared at Dok Goryong with baffled expressions.
“So, the Oamgui belongs to Sadoren, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Wow, you’ve come far. The ‘Three Seconds’ have now become part of Sadoren.”
“Ugh, are you mocking me?”
“No, I’m congratulating you. Honestly, your skills were pretty bad five years ago.”
‘Please, uncle.’
Didn’t he see how Pungryang was barely keeping his anger down? Eun Sowol worried they might start fighting again.
Pungryang trembled but took a deep breath and calmed down.
“Ha… It’s not that I’m weak. You must be a monster. Who would think someone under twenty would be first class?”
‘Oh, our uncle must’ve been top class in his teens.’
Dangjinak is first class now… so he is quite skilled.
“You made me feel like I got hit on the head. I was embarrassed thinking I was strong enough all this time.”
“So you worked hard. Your prayers are totally different than before.”
“I worked until I nearly vomited blood. That’s why I joined Sadoren and became one of the Oamgui.”
Pungryang seemed very proud of being part of the Oamgui.
“Well, congrats on your growth. But why did you tell me?”
“Told you what?”
“Why did you reveal to me that you’re with Sadoren?”
Dok Goryong’s mood shifted. The friendly atmosphere ended, and his welcoming attitude turned cautious.
“You said it yourself. It’s not well known, but Heuksigok is Sadoren’s territory. That means only the Oamgui know that Sadoren rules Heuksigok… So you wouldn’t easily tell a stranger you meet after five years.”
“…I thought I could boast about how much I’ve grown to someone I met after a long time.”
“No, Sadoren doesn’t pick careless people who talk too much.”
“…”
Suddenly, his thick arms wrapped around Pungryang.
It looked like he was preparing in case something unexpected happened.
Clearly, Dok Goryong was on guard.
‘Uncle’s right.’
The Oamgui are five elite members sent to manage Heuksigok for Sadoren.
But one of them, Pungryang, was opening up and telling his own story to the opponent because of old feelings?
‘He must have some other plan.’
Eun Sowol and Dok Goryong waited for Pungryang to speak.
After some hesitation, he raised his hand slightly.
Dok Goryong tightened his hold on Eun Sowol, preparing for any possible situation.
And then—
“This is amazing. You’re like a ghost. Anyway, you can’t trick me.”
Pungryang scratched the back of his head, showing his discomfort.
“Actually, I wanted to make you an offer.”
“…What kind of offer?”
“You… want to join Sadoren?”
Unexpected by the recruitment offer, Eun Sowol’s eyes went wide even more than Dok Goryong’s.
‘I heard Sadoren rarely recruits new talents?’
Sadoren was so large it was called the Martial Alliance of the shady side.
Everyone on that side wanted to join, so normally, you had to go through strict screening to enter.
Offers to join were very rare, and few people had the authority to recruit.
‘But if this guy wants to recruit uncle… maybe he’s higher rank than I thought.’
“You know me well, right? I hate the righteous side and also hate shady people. But you want me to join a group full of shady guys?”
“I know, I know. But it’s not a bad offer. It’s a waste for your skills to go to waste like this. If you do well, you might catch the eye of the leaders and become their disciple.”
“No way.”
“I’ll write a recommendation letter. Then you can just take a simple test and join Sadoren quickly…”
“I said no.”
Dok Goryong cut him off firmly. Pungryang sighed, clearly disappointed.
“Tch, I thought you’d be interested in Sadoren too. Then I wouldn’t have told you who I am.”
“I never asked you to tell me. You just said it all by yourself.”
“I know. But I told you because I knew you wouldn’t spread it around. I want to recruit you because of your skill. But…”
Pungryang looked toward Eun Sowol, who was in Dok Goryong’s arms.
Eun Sowol noticed his worry and said,
“I’m tight-lipped. Like a stone.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, I won’t tell anyone! Promise!”
Eun Sowol showed her pinky finger. Pungryang hesitated for a moment, then gently linked his finger with hers.
He smiled harmlessly as if to say ‘Don’t worry,’ and Pungryang chuckled softly.
“She’s really cute.”
“Cute? She’s just noisy.”
“Tch, only uncle won’t admit it. Everyone else says I’m pretty!”
“They must all have crooked eyes.”
“Hey! Uncle, you’re mean!”
Dok Goryong and Eun Sowol bickered loudly.
For them, it was just a normal daily conversation, but for those who knew Dok Goryong before, it was quite a surprising sight.
‘He’s gotten a bit softer.’
From the moment they recognized each other and talked, I felt he was much gentler than before.
His lively expressions and increased smiles were a far cry from the cold and silent seventeen-year-old Goryong.
Pungryang smiled quietly at the nice sight.
“But mister, if Sadoren owns Heuksigok, then what about Mukhyangbang? Does Sadoren know that many people are suffering because of Mukhyangbang?”
At Eun Sowol’s question, Pungryang suddenly snapped back to attention.
“Of course we know. We get reports. Sadoren only cares about getting the medicinal herbs from Heuksigok. It doesn’t matter if there’s infighting inside. Well, if Mukhyangbang’s leader tries to control Heuksigok, that’d be a different story.”
“Still… wouldn’t it be better if everyone got along? Uncle Jaeha lost his wife because of Mukhyangbang. The Yugok guild also collapsed. Can’t you help?”
“We don’t care about such small things.”
Eun Sowol frowned in dissatisfaction.
‘Small? For some people, this is a matter of life and death.’
No matter how good a person seemed, he was still part of Sadoren. She wondered if she could ask for any mercy, feeling down.
“Oh, but Mukhyangbang’s leader is especially obsessed with the Yugok guild leader.”
“Is it because he’s an excellent herbalist and a threat?”
“No, the opposite. He’s trying to recruit him to their side.”
“But Mukhyangbang really made things hard, didn’t they?”
“They tried to persuade first, but when that failed, they used force. They probably thought they’d give in by now.”
Eun Sowol was shocked. How could they completely destroy a family and a guild just because they didn’t obey?
“That’s cruel… What did uncle do so wrong…?”
Eun Sowol shivered as if she were the one suffering.
After a moment of silence, Pungryang spoke.
“Nangjungjichu (囊中之錐).”
“…What?”
“Yunnan. Among them, Kunming is famous as a city of medicinal herbs. There are so many herbalists, and their skills are the best in the central plains.
But among them, there are a few with outstanding talent.”
Eun Sowol looked confused by the sudden words, so Dok Goryong answered.
“That person is Lee Jaeha.”
“Right. He only worked inside Heuksigok, so not many outside know about him, but here he’s quite famous. When the Yugok guild was at its peak, there were rumors he was taught by the ‘Herbal Immortal’.”
Lee Jaeha’s knowledge of herbs was unmatched.
With just him, you didn’t need ten skilled herbalists.
Many tried to recruit him, but…
“He wanted to lead his own guild. Naturally, he gained many enemies.”
But even though Lee Jaeha was skilled with herbs, his business sense was ordinary.
In the end, due to Mukhyangbang’s interference and envy from others, he was completely ruined.
