Scholar Demon Venerable

The smell of blood vibrated in the room.

Several people were lying down, and about a dozen men wearing red hoods were surrounding a masked man.

Just as the drinking party was getting lively, a masked man had suddenly intruded and caused a bloody calamity.

Because of that, the drinking table was overturned, and in one corner, half-naked girls were trembling.

The masked man was Cheongun.

He had come straight to the Red Turban Gang after the Black Sword Gang.

At first, he had tried to coax and threaten them with force like the Black Sword Gang. But when he arrived here, he had lost his temper.

Because the executives of the Red Turban Gang were committing an atrocity that could never be tolerated.

"You beast-like bastards."

Cheongun gritted his teeth.

Children who were at best a little over ten years old came into his sight.

He couldn't stand to see the flower buds that had not yet ripened become their playthings.

The Blood Emperor did not stop Cheongun from committing murder, unlike his initial plan.

He just hardened his expression without a word and stared at Cheongun.

At this time, a man whose one arm had been cut off and had stepped back shouted at Cheongun with a scream.

"We bought these b*tches for a fair price."

"What? Are people things that can be bought and sold for money!"

Cheongun let out a shout.

Ureureung.

Puseuseuk.

At Cheongun's lion's roar-like sound, the pavilion shook and dust fell.

Everyone already knew that Cheongun was a master they could not handle with their own strength.

The subordinates who had rushed in after hearing the commotion also knew that fact and were just standing there awkwardly.

But they couldn't just offer their necks to the guy who was going to kill them.

"Th-their parents sold them."

"..."

At that moment, a child shouted.

"No! That's a lie."

"Shut up!"

The man next to her kicked at the girl who had shouted.

A streak of red energy flashed from Cheongun's hand.

Bok.

The man who was about to kick the child had a hole in his head and fell with a thud.

"Keep talking."

Cheongun said to the child in a soft voice.

The girl said, with tears welling up in her two eyes, as if shouting.

"We came to work. We came to work for one day. Sob sob."

A blood-red light flashed in Cheongun's two eyes.

"You lied."

One of the executives of the Red Turban Gang was startled and made an excuse.

"N-no. Th-that's right. It's true that a few of them came to work, but th-the other children were sold."

"Shut up! If even one of you moves, you will all die."

The terrified people of the Red Turban Gang froze like stone statues and even held their breath.

A silence where not even the sound of an ant moving could be heard hung in the air. Only the sound of the children crying, trembling in one corner, rang out.

Cheongun decided to weed out the vicious ones first.

"Those who were forced to participate in the evil act because they were pressured by force, step forward."

At Cheongun's words, they looked at each other.

Soon, a man with narrow and cunning eyes raised his hand and stepped forward.

"It's me. I've done nothing wrong."

He made a pitiful expression, even knelt down, and made an expression as if he were about to cry. The others also hurriedly knelt down.

But a few still held their weapons tightly and showed strong hostility. Although they wanted to attack right away, they did not dare to attack because they knew Cheongun's strength.

"Then who is the most vicious one among you?"

He said to those who had come forward and knelt. Soon, they looked at each other and then pointed at each other.

Three out of a total of seven were pointed at.

Seogeok.

Cheongun cut off the neck of one of them.

"Who else? Pick one more. If there is a truly evil person who must be killed, who is it?"

The trembling men looked at each other's eyes and then pointed at one man. One of the three who had been pointed at the most was pointed at again.

The man's face turned pale. And soon, the man's head rolled off his shoulder.

"Then who is the one who must be killed among those standing in the back."

The remaining five men pointed at one man.

Cheongun looked at the man the men had pointed at.

Everyone was looking at his expression. There was only one person whose expression they would all look at.

"By any chance, are you the leader of the Red Turban Gang?"

"That's right."

It was the leader of the Red Turban Gang, the Red Turban Emissary, Lu Zhanghong.

He was a man with a tall height and a strong impression, but he had a somewhat vile feeling.

The guy said with dignity. Although it was a situation where he should have been discouraged, he pretended to be composed. But the guy was also afraid of death, and his drooping sword was trembling.

Looking at such a leader of the Red Turban Gang, Cheongun said.

"Everyone says you are the most vicious one, what do you think?"

"Hmph. That's why I'm the leader."

Cheongun nodded his head. In a way, it was true.

Although his anger had not yet subsided, the purpose of coming here was not to exterminate them.

"If you had a chance to live, what would you do?"

"Kekeke. If I can just live, what is there that I can't do?"

The guy answered Cheongun's question with unexpected composure.

Even though death was approaching, he was quite calm.

In addition, he had grasped the psychology of Cheongun, who was wearing a mask, and even asked.

"By any chance, is there something you want me to do..."

Cheongun treated him coldly for now.

"Don't try to test me. There are many people in Kaifeng I can ask to do things for me, even if it's not you."

At Cheongun's cold words, the mouths of the people of the Red Turban Gang went dry.

No one likes to have their heart read.

Lu Zhanghong quickly realized his mistake and prostrated himself.

"Why bother looking for others? It won't be easy to find guys like us in Kaifeng. What is it that you want us to do?"

The attitude and tone of the leader of the Red Turban Gang had changed.

It was a declaration of surrender.

Looking at him, who was prostrated to survive, Cheongun's eyes shone coldly.

* * *

A shichen had passed since the Black Sword Gang and then the Red Turban Gang had been turned upside down.

Cheongun and the Jinyiwei gathered deep in the Fengyun Manor.

Cheongun stood at the head of the table, and next to him stood the Thousand-household Commander, Seok Deok-jo.

In front of the two, nearly a hundred Jinyiwei members were kneeling on one knee.

Cheongun looked around them and gave an order.

"The time has come. From the first to the fifth group, wear masks and go to the Black Sword Gang from tomorrow and follow the instructions."

"Chung!"

"The fifth group will step forward and keep the Hyeokryeon Manor in check."

"Chung!"

Cheongun also gave an order to the remaining Jinyiwei.

"From the sixth to the ninth group, wait in the safe house. The leader will be the eighth group leader, Baihu Xue Jinzhong. Baihu Xue, be prepared to be dispatched at any time."

"Chung!"

"Only the tenth group will remain here."

"Chung!"

The Jinyiwei in the Fengyun Manor were an elite force that the Da Yingban had sent with special care. The momentum emanating from their bodies was quite sharp.

Cheongun said to Seok Deok-jo, who was standing like a rock next to him.

"Although it will be troublesome for Thousand-household Commander Seok, you will have to go to the Black Sword Gang."

"I receive the order!"

Although he could have entrusted it to the senior group leader, Xiong Tian, he needed certain military power.

Among the Jinyiwei who had come here, there were four peak-level martial artists.

The Thousand-household Commander and the first group leader, Xiong Tian, were at the peak, and the eighth and tenth group leaders were also peak-level masters.

Cheongun had dispersed them. He planned to attack the Hyeokryeon Manor simultaneously and throw them into chaos.

Although he also planned to move himself, he could not handle everything by himself.

After everyone had left, the Blood Emperor said to Cheongun, who was left alone.

[This is the beginning. It should have started sooner, but it's a little late.]

"They say the beginning is half the battle. More importantly, I'm thinking of moving too."

[Do you have a method in mind?]

"Yes. Since we've started, we have to do it properly."

[What are you thinking of doing?]

"I'm thinking of kidnapping."

[Kidnapping?]

"Yes, kidnapping."

Cheongun only answered that and grinned coldly.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought of kidnapping the people of the Hyeokryeon Manor before. He just hadn't done it because he was afraid they would be on their guard.

But from now on, since it was a situation like an all-out war, there was no reason to hesitate.

* * *

At the north gate of Kaifeng, there was an inn operated by the Hyeokryeon Manor. It was a large-scale inn that the Hyeokryeon Manor had opened six months ago.

The inn had a main building in front where food was sold, and behind it, there were six detached houses.

The Hyeokryeon Manor had invited a chef with good cooking skills to take charge of the kitchen and had hired a few young women among the waiters to attract customers.

Usually, inns did not have women as waiters. But strangely, when they had female waiters, customers flocked.

The gentle female waiters had made this inn a famous place in Kaifeng.

When it was lunchtime, many people flocked to the inn.

"Hey, who's pushing?"

"What? Don't push..."

When a noisy sound was heard at the entrance, the gazes of the customers who were filling the inn all turned to the entrance.

Soon, the entrance of the inn turned dark, and people pushed their way in. Although the waiters hurriedly tried to stop them, they rather became a laughingstock to them.

"Sir. There are no seats inside. If you wait... kyaak!"

"Hey, you're pretty."

"You're too pretty to work in a place like this."

"D-don't do this."

"Oh, who's going to eat you? I'm just saying it because I feel sorry for you."

"That's right. Don't suffer and go on a boat ride with us."

Someone held the female waiter's hand and harassed her. There were also men who rubbed her butt and shoulders.

The inside of the inn became as cold as if cold water had been poured on it.

But no one stepped forward to stop them. No, they couldn't. The people who had appeared at the entrance were too famous in Kaifeng.

The Black Sword Gang.

They were the ones who were in charge of one axis of the Kaifeng evil faction.

They continued to get angry at the waiters who were blocking them and shouted loudly.

"I told you I came to eat a meal."

"What? There are no seats?"

"Damn it, a seat will open up soon."

The people of the Black Sword Gang glared and scanned the inside of the inn.

The quick-witted customers were already getting up from their seats and grumbling in a small voice.

"What are those guys doing here? This is a place operated by the Hyeokryeon Manor."

"It seems they came to pick a fight. It looks like a fight is about to break out."

"Damn it, the food just came out."

"Let's get out of here quickly. It seems we'll get into trouble if we stay here."

The customers hurriedly left the inn.

The warriors of the Black Sword Gang grinned and said friendly to the trembling waiters.

"Hey, you see? A seat opened up right away."

"I like the second floor."

"Really? I like the third floor."

The warriors of the Black Sword Gang formed groups of three and five and went up to the second and third floors without hesitation.

On the second and third floors, there were still people who were keeping their seats.

A few who looked like martial artists were wearing weapons, and there were also ordinary people.

The warriors of the Black Sword Gang scattered and took their seats, and then they pounded on the tables and urged for food.

"Bring it quickly!"

"Hey! Take our order!"

"Ah, damn it, I'm about to die of hunger. Hey! Are you going to take responsibility if I die of hunger!"

As they raised their fierce momentum and cursed, the inside of the inn became even more murderous as expected.

But no one stepped forward to stop them.

The martial artists who were wearing weapons also could not step forward directly because dozens of people had flocked and were making a mess.

It seemed obvious that they would not see a good sight if they stayed any longer, and most of the ordinary people and some of the martial artists left their seats.

In an instant, the inn became quiet. Although there were still some customers left, there were now far more warriors of the Black Sword Gang.

The food came out, and a boisterous sound filled the empty inn.

"Drink!"

"Let's die today! Eat, drink, and be merry!"

To prevent such things, warriors were stationed in the inn. But the owner of the inn had stopped them, so they could only watch from one side without being able to step forward.

"Endure it. If you step forward like this, you will all die."

The owner of the inn was a person with various experiences, so much so that the Hyeokryeon Manor had entrusted him with the inn. Not only was he a good merchant, but he had also worked in an escort agency for a long time, so he was also quick-witted.

'Those guys want blood.'

(End of Chapter)