Chapter 360 Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel

Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel

Chapter 360 Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel

“Kreuk!”

“Eok!”

Groans burst out from various places around the Poyang Lake.

It was the sound of Je-won Merchant Group’s men beating the martial artists of the blood ant chamber.

Je-won Merchant Group’s men were frightening.

They knew very well how to find the people hiding in the Blood Ant Chamber.

Like scraping the bottom of a lake with a fine-meshed net, they hunted down anyone related to the Blood Ant Chamber from the ground up.

Although they had not taken any action until now, Je-won Merchant Group had collected a considerable amount of information about the Blood Ant Chamber.

Gathering information about people who could pose a threat to them was one of the basics of their fundamentals.

There was no immediate danger of colliding with anyone, but they could not predict what problems might arise if the Blood Ant Chamber grew larger in the future. Therefore, the Je-won Merchant Group had collected information on the Blood Ant Chamber in preparation.

Moreover, they had a sufficient reason.

In addition to brutally killing Gu Changhae who was one of Je-won Merchant Group’s men, they mutilated his body and displayed it as a warning.

Je-won Merchant Group’s martial artists were furious.

They fiercely attacked anyone related to the Blood Ant Chamber as if to demonstrate what the revenge of blood meant. As a result, those who had hidden themselves in fear of the Blood Ant Chamber could no longer withstand it and began to reveal their whereabouts.

“It’s bad news, our mates have been captured by those from the Je-won merchant group.”

“Brother Doeul was also killed!”

Reports came in one after another.

“Damn it!”

Deng Cheol-woong bit his lip until it bled.

He never imagined that the Blood Ant Chamber, the most influential organization, would collapse overnight.

Where he was located was one of the hideouts of the Blood Ant Chamber.

It was a secret place that only his followers knew about, and even their existence was unknown to others.

He thought he could withstand Je-won Merchant Group no matter how great they were. He thought he had that much power. But his confidence was shattered in just half a day.

He was so frightened by Je-won Merchant Group’s pursuit from the ground up that he trembled.

Deng Cheol-woong gulped down his drink from the bottle.

“Did you think I would retreat like this? Damn it! Je-won Merchant Group? Let’s go all the way. I’ll show you how vicious and terrifying Deng Cheol-woong is.”

Deng Cheol-woong was furious.

“Ha ha!”

Then someone’s laughter echoed through the room.

It was the laughter of a woman sitting cross-legged in a corner of the room.

She was the woman who had been captured because her father had failed to pay Deng Cheol-woong’s protection money. She had been violated and ruined by Deng Cheol-woong, but her eyes were filled with a toxic light.

“You bitch!”

“Ha ha! You look pathetic. You made other people shed tears of blood, but now you are receiving punishment.”

“You bitch…”

Boom!

Deng Cheol-woong slapped the woman’s cheek in anger.

The woman, who was hit by a hand as big as a lid, collapsed on the floor. She was so shocked that she could not even scream.

“You bitch! How dare you fan the flames of a burning house? Ugh!”

Deng Cheol-woong looked down at the woman and snorted.

He still couldn’t calm down, so he trampled on the woman even more.

“My lord!”

Just in time, his follower, Oh Shin-Pyung, entered the room. Otherwise, the woman might have died.

Deng Cheol-woong nervously looked at Oh Shin-Pyung.

“What’s going on?”

“They’ve arrived.”

“They? The ones who caused this mess?”

“Yes!”

“Damn it! Good. Where are those bastards?”

“They’re outside now.”

Deng Cheol-woong rolled up his sleeves and went outside.

There were about a dozen martial artists standing outside.

The men wearing red robes and red headbands gave off a dangerous smell.

Deng Cheol-woong’s fierce expression quickly changed to a mild one.

Although Deng Cheol-woong was known for his fearlessness, he wasn’t foolish enough to misread the mood and intentions of others. In fact, he had a highly developed sense of situational awareness that was second to none.

“Have you come?”

Deng Cheol-woong cautiously asked.

The leader of the group answered.

“I heard there’s a problem.”

As soon as Deng Cheol-woong heard his voice, he felt chills run down his arm.

‘Fuck! He’s fucking scary.’

If he made a wrong move, he could lose his life in an instant. He spoke as politely as possible.

“We helped you, but it caused trouble for our business.”

“You said it was noisy out there, so the Blood Ant Chamber is being attacked.”

“Yes! If things continue like this, the Blood Ant Chamber will become dysfunctional. If the Blood Ant Chamber falls apart, I won’t be able to help the big brothers anymore.”

“Are you threatening us?”

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

“Hmm!”

Fortunately, it seemed like Deng Cheol-woong’s not-so-subtle threat had worked. The leader of the group seemed to be thinking for a moment.

Deng Cheol-woong watched the leader of the group with bated breath.

“Did you say it was the Je-won merchant group that made the Blood Ant Chamber a mess?”

“Yes. If you kill Noh Tae-tae and some members of the leadership, we’ll take care of the rest.”

“Hmph! If we get rid of them, do you think you’ll be able to take over the Je-won merchant group?”

“Hehe! I’ve lived my whole life doing evil deeds. If I can’t even do that much, I might as well die.”

“Fine! We’ll solve the problem for you.”

“Really? Thank you.”

Deng Cheol-woong hesitated for a moment and bowed deeply.

The leader of the group looked at Deng Cheol-woong with a disdainful look. Fortunately, the head band covered his expression.

Thanks to the head band, Deng Cheol-woong couldn’t see the leader’s expression.

Deng Cheol-woong asked cautiously.

“How long do we have to wait?”

“By tonight, everything will have changed.”

“Haha! Thank you for letting me know. I’ll prepare as well.”

“Prepare?”

“Yes! Don’t I have to turn to the Je-won merchant group too? Hehe!”

Deung Cheol-woong let out a chuckle.

The leader of the warriors, who had been fuming, was further annoyed by the sudden change in Deung Cheol-woong’s demeanor. However, to operate comfortably around Poyang Lake, it was essential to cooperate with people like Deung Cheol-woong.

.

“Be careful not to make the first move until you hear good news.”

“Don’t worry, our specialty is waiting for opportunities while holding our breath. Hehe!”

Upon saying that, the leader of the group left the hideout with his subordinates.

The leader looked back at the hideout as he stepped outside and muttered to himself.

“It’s a shame that a person like me has to work with such lowlifes. Life is fleeting.”

“Isn’t it a necessary evil? Just think of it positively.”

The subordinate carefully replied.

Cheol Dae-jin nodded and asked his subordinate.

“Who are the core members of the Je-won merchant group?”

“Noh Tae-tae, and Jo Seolpung, who is currently leading the crackdown on the Blood Ant Chamber, are the key members.”

“Jo Seolpung?”

“He is Noh Tae-tae’s great-grandson and a highly reputed talent in the area.”

“Really?”

“His decisiveness and skill with weapons are no joke. If he becomes the leader of the Je-won merchant group, there will be many problems in the future.”

“Then we’ll include him as a target for assassination.”

“Understood.”

Cheol Dae-jin looked around at his subordinates and said,

“Send a letter to the prison as well, just in case. Prepare for any unexpected situations.”

“Do we really need to do that? If we handle this quietly amongst ourselves, no one would know.”

“That’s why we wiped out Hao Clan’s local branch, and this is the result.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not questioning you. I’m trying to be prepared.”

“I understand. I’ll send a letter to the prison.”

“Good!”

Cheol Dae-jin nodded and looked at the Poyan lake. As the martial artists wearing bloody robes trembled while watching Cheol Dae-jin’s back, they knew his true nature.

Wherever he passed, not a single blade of grass would remain. That’s why he was nicknamed blade-cutting blood demon sword (削草血魔劍).

***

Meanwhile, Jo Seolpung sat by the window looking outside.

“I’ve found seven people with ties to the Blood Ant Chamber.”

“We found one of their hideouts.”

More reports kept coming in, all related to the Blood Ant Chamber. Jo’s mouth curved into a smile.

The Blood Ant Chamber, once an eyesore that had been growing like a poisonous mushroom in their courtyard, had become an opportunity thanks to Gu Changhae’s death.

Although Gu’s death was unfortunate, it had provided them with a good reason to uproot the Blood Ant Chamber. They had already taken root throughout Poyang Lake, making it difficult to know where to start. But now, they had a good excuse.

Jo had one more good news. He received a formal invitation in a letter.

“Anti Golden Heavenly Hall…”

The invitation letter stated that he was invited as a member to join the Anti Golden Heavenly Hall.

Jo Seolpung knew better than anyone else what kind of organization the Golden Heavenly Hall was.

Even though he was listed in the Book of Martial Arts, he hadn’t received any invitations from the organization.

He acted like it didn’t bother him, but inside he was deeply hurt.

Even if he had been asked, he would not have joined, but the fact that he was never invited angered him.

On the other hand, the Anti Golden Heavenly Hall recognized his value and sent him a polite invitation. The invitation was from Yong Ha-sang of the Dragon Mountain Manor and Nam Gung-wol of the thousand schools kingdom.

Their names alone added weight to the invitation.

The fact that they recognized him as their equal pleased him.

“However, joining the Anti Golden Heavenly Hall must be a carefully considered decision.”

One of the most important things for a merchant was the ability to read the current. If he did not accurately understand the direction in which it flowed, he could endanger not only himself but the entire Je-won merchant group

.

He had to maximize his gains by going back and forth between the Golden Heavenly Hall and the Anti Golden Heavenly Hall. That was the way to benefit the Je-won merchant group.

“First, we need to completely clean up the Blood Ant Chamber.”

If he cleaned up the Blood Ant Chamber, his friendship with Pyo Wol would become stronger.

If he could cultivate friendships with people like Pyo Wol during times like this when the signs of a turbulent era were apparent, it would be a great help in the future.

Jo Seolpung stood up with a smile.

The Je-won merchant group had mansions in the central area of the Poyang Lake, and Jo Seolpung was currently staying in one of them.

It was convenient to receive reports because it was located in the center of the transportation hub, and it was also useful for handling other matters, so he often used this place.

Fortunately, the work of cleaning up the Blood Ant Chamber was proceeding smoothly.

If it continued like this, he felt that everything would be resolved within a day, just as he promised Pyo Wol.

That’s when it happened.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, a small scream was heard.

At first, the sound was so small that he thought it was nothing.

“Suck!”

At that moment, he heard someone else’s scream again.

Then Jo Seolpung realized that what he had heard was not a delusion.

“Who’s there?”

Jo Seolpung picked up the sword he had left next to the table in a hurry.

His whole body was chilled.

He felt a strong sense of crisis.

“Is it the Blood Ant Chamber guys retaliating?”

Jo Seolpung hurriedly went outside.

The mansion was quiet.

It was as if there was no one there.

If he thought about the fact that people had been coming and going until just a moment ago, bringing in urgent reports, the quiet scenery in front of him seemed like a lie.

Jo Seolpung shouted.

“Is anyone there?”

But there was no answer.

“What’s going on?”

Jo Seolpung’s face twisted unpleasantly.

Then it happened.

Someone approached Jo Seolpung, their figure reflecting off a surface.

“Master Jo!”

“Are you Achil? What happened?”

Jo Seolpung recognized the identity of the man covered in blood.

“Hurry, run away.”

“What?”

“Those guys… demons… urk!”

At that moment, Achil collapsed. Behind his crumbling body, like a sandcastle, three blood-stained men could be seen.

“Are you Jo Seolpung of the Je-won Merchant Group?”