Chapter 56. The Cold Glint of a Well-Polished Sword (3)

"What?"

“Do you know what you look like right now, hyung-nim? How can you look so peaceful while you’re doing this damned laundry?”

It was only then that Ryeok-Gwi realized he was smiling.

“Unbelievable... I can’t believe I was satisfied with this life, even if it was only for a moment,” he muttered, confused.

Dok-Du gritted his teeth.

“There is something we must never forget, even if we have to live so shamefully after being caught by this bastard. We are the rulers of Anhui’s nightlife, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du!!!”

Their vivid past came to mind. Yes, they weren’t supposed to be some servants sitting around doing laundry like this!

Coincidentally, at that very moment, they heard a mocking laughter from behind them.

“

Puhahahaha

!!!! Just what the hell is this?”

“Are those supposed to be men or maids?”

“To think these vicious-looking bastards are doing laundry. Hey, just a question. What’s the point of that thing dangling between your legs?” Ju-Ryeong’s guards said as they approached, mocking the trio.

The news of Heon-Won’s brutal defeat by Woo-Moon a month ago spread throughout the entire family. Thus, Ju-Ryeong’s guards, who had also been ridiculed because of the incident and harbored a grudge against the Song family, started a scuffle when they saw the trio.

The Dok-Ryeok-Rat trio were naturally pissed at the harsh words of the guards.

“Who do these rotten bastards think they are talking shit to?”

“So you want to die? Fine!"

Yes, they knew that their opponents were much stronger than them. However, the trio was full of rage and venom from the hardship Woo-Moon subjected them to. They thought nothing of acting out against the guards, even considering the discrepancy in strength.

‘Let’s just do it. It’s not like those bastards will be stronger than that Demon Song!’

The guards were shocked by the completely unexpected reaction.

“What? These bastards! How dare some laundry servants talk back!”

“It looks like they won’t come to their senses until they see their graves!”

At the guards’ swears, the trio jumped up from the ground and rolled their eyes mockingly.

Ryeok-Gwi looked over at Dok-Du.

“That’s not how you swear at someone. Dok-Du, show them.”

Dok-Du looked at Ju-Ryeong’s guards, took a deep breath, and started spitting out curses as if he had opened the floodgates of a dam that was ready to burst apart.

“You parentless bastards! You should just cut off your dicks, fry them in oil, and feed them to the pigs!

Pssh.

Fuck, even if you chop them up into tiny pieces and give them to the street dogs, it’s not like they would want them, anyway. Even the street dogs would vomit if they saw your dirty little worms, you shit ass bastards!””

All of the rage he had toward Woo-Moon had finally found an outlet, and Dok-Du was feeling completely refreshed.

“You, you, you bastards...!” the guards sputtered.

Where would they, guards of

the

Baek Family, and the personal guards of one of the most influential figures within the family at that, ever be subjected to such slurs from some back-alley thugs?

Shing!

Unable to hold back his anger, one of the guards drew his sword.

“I’ll kill you!”

But their leader caught him and stopped him from going forward, whispering something to the others.

“Why do you think these bastards are whispering like eunuchs who have nothing down there?”

Dok-Du was just about to begin cursing again when the leader suddenly smiled brightly and said, “Hahaha. We were just playing around. Your curses are excellent. I was really impressed! Hahaha. We’re all part of the Baek Family. What’s the point of fighting amongst ourselves?”

He walked forward without hesitation, grabbed Dok-Du’s hand and shook it vigorously.

“W-what’s with this crazy bastard?”

Dok-Du quickly pulled his hand back and glared at him.

“Hahaha. I like you guys. Let’s be friends from now on!”

The other guards also laughed along with their leader.

“W-what’s going on with you, guys?”

As the trio was taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor, the guards warmly said their goodbyes and left.

“What’s with them?” Ryeok-Gwi asked.

“I don’t know, hyung-nim. Maybe they all went insane.”

“

Puhahaha

! So the famous Iron Sword Baek Family guards only amount to this much.”

“That’s right,

kekeke

.”

The trio kept chuckling for a while, but then, they suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

“By the way, it’s getting pretty late.”

“L-let’s hurry up and take this in. You never know what that demon is going to say.”

The trio washed the laundry so quickly that their hands looked blurry before returning to the Baek Estate, each carrying a basket.

As they walked briskly, about a dozen masked people suddenly blocked their path.

“What’s this?”

The trio recognized them immediately, even though the group had disguised themselves and changed their clothes. Whether it was the number of people or their stature, it was exactly the same as those who had argued with the trio earlier.

“What the hell are these bastards wearing in broad daylight...

Ack

!”

Dok-Du barely had time to open his mouth when Ju-Ryeong’s masked guards rushed over and started beating them up. Although they resisted, there was no way that their feeble struggles could do anything. Ju-Ryeong’s guards were at the very least Second Class, with some at the first step of the First Class. There was no way that the three of them, of whom only Ryeok-Gwi had barely reached the pinnacle of the Third Class, would be able to win.

“

Agh

!!!

Agk

!!!”

“Hey, we’re being assaulted here!”

The masked guards silently beat the trio.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Song family was still at the top of the Baek Family in terms of hierarchy. Because of this, the guards couldn’t touch their servants openly. It wasn’t that they couldn’t do anything, but they had to take the proper precautions and disguise themselves.

As the merciless beating continued, Rat was suddenly kicked in the head and started convulsing like a frog bashed with a rock, foaming at the mouth. After a few moments, he went limp. The guards’ eyes widened in shock as they saw him convulsing and looking about to die.

The repercussions of beating someone and murdering someone were entirely different within the Baek Estate.

‘Damn it! I didn’t even want to kill him. What should I do? I just wanted to cripple him a little.’

The guards had only intended to beat the three and break a few joints. Seeing what had happened, the leader quickly stopped his subordinates, and Ju-Ryeong’s bodyguards fled the scene immediately.

The moment they disappeared into the distance, Rat, who was lying on the ground looking dead, stood up. He looked around and shook his head at Dok-Du and Ryeok-Gwi, motioning for them to wake up.

“They’re gone. You can get up.”

As soon as he said so, Ryeok-Gwi and Dok-Du stood up.

“These damned bastards!”

Their entire bodies hurt, but more importantly, their pride had taken a serious blow. If it was Woo-Moon doing the beating, it was something they could gloss over and were already used to. After all, he was the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor and an incredible expert in his own right.

However, this time, they had been beaten by some random guards who were not even worthy of helping Woo-Moon put on his shoes. It was inevitable for their pride to be dashed.

“Do either of you have any broken bones?” Ryeok-Gwi asked.

At those words, Rat laughed, flashing his yellow teeth.

“Didn’t I act quickly and fake my death before they were able to do damage? I’m a natural actor, you see.”

The other two acknowledged it, as even they had been fooled by Rat’s amazing acting skills more than once.

However, that wasn’t the issue at hand.

“W-what do we do about this, hyung-nim?” Dok-Du cried, pointing to the dirty laundry that had fallen.

Not only had those bastards beaten them, they had even trampled all over the laundry as well.

Ryeok-Gwi exclaimed in surprise, “Damn it, if the demon finds out, we’re dead! Let’s go back quickly and do it again.”

“Hmm, you may be right. Who is that demon you’re talking about?”

The trio was startled when they suddenly heard Woo-Moon’s voice.

“Gasp!”

Woo-Moon smiled as he approached them. The three could feel all the hair on their bodies standing on end, especially Ryeok-Gwi.

“A-aah. W-w-w-w-ell, who knows? Who could this demon be?

Haha...

Ah! I can’t believe we’ve never mentioned it. Actually, t-that used to be Rat’s old nickname!”

“What bullshit,” Woo-Moon responded with the same bright smile.

He had been training his new guards and had decided to take a walk and get some fresh air once he was done. Sensing a commotion, he had rushed over and discovered the trio.

“How did the laundry get so disgusting? Who did it?”

“T-that’s...well...”

With an aggrieved look, Rat told Woo-Moon what had happened to them in detail. Of course, it was a given that his tale was incredibly embellished, with the trio being even

more

pitiful and kind, while Ju-Ryeong’s guards became even

more

vicious and bloodthirsty.

“T-Those bastards made all of the laundry we put so much effort into look like this!

Ughh...

!”

At the end of his tale, Rat had become so emotional that he even shed tears. As he opened his mouth wide, Woo-Moon hurriedly stepped back and stopped him.

“I-I get it. Your breath stinks, so let’s keep that mouth shut for now.”

Rat, who had been leaning on Woo-Moon for just a moment, shut his mouth right away. Woo-Moon, lost in thought for a moment, immediately glared at the trio and spoke.

“Anyway, who told you to go around getting beaten up, huh? Who told you to let yourselves get beaten?!”

As he raised a hand in jest, the trio flinched and said, “H-how do you expect us not to get beaten with our cultivation levels?”

As Ryeok-Gwi’s voice crept into his ears, Woo-Moon frowned. The trio were unscrupulous people, which made him unwilling to teach them martial arts. However, seeing them like this strangely hurt his pride.

“You all will also join the martial arts training starting tomorrow. Also, wash that laundry again and bring it back. If there’s even a single stain, you’re dead. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

Although their answer was enthusiastic, the trio cursed Woo-Moon in their hearts.

‘You emotionless bastard! How can you order us to do the laundry even after seeing us like this? And martial arts training? Even if we join, all you’ll make us do is the damn horse stance anyway!’

There had never been anyone in the world who actually would teach low-class scum like them how to cultivate or wield the sword without any compensation. It had always been that way, even when they were innocent orphans.

Thus, the trio thought that Woo-Moon was trying to use this incident as an excuse to harass them even more.

“What are you doing? Go and do the laundry right now!”

"Understood!"

It was unfair enough that they had been beaten by those bastards, so after having Woo-Moon scold them on top of that, the trio was filled with sadness and limped to the stream, holding back their tears.

Woo-Moon rubbed his chin with his fingers as he thought to himself.

“If I just let things go like this, they’ll treat our Song family like pushovers, right?”

***

A little while later.

“

Puhahaha

! I feel really refreshed.”

“How dare those bastards who make the entire estate embarrassed curse at us! They should be grateful we didn’t cut them down where they stood!

Hmph

!”

Because today was a day off, Ju-Ryeong’s guards, the third platoon of the Dragon Sword Squadron, all headed to the tavern, barring their leader, who went to see his lover. Being able to teach the arrogant servants of the Song family a lesson was the best side dish for their drinks.

Then they heard a cold voice.

“Was it fun?”

When the third platoon of the Dragon Sword Squadron looked ahead, they saw a masked person standing there.

“What sort of bastard are you?”

Hearing the words of the leader of the third platoon, the masked man—of course, Woo-Moon, let out a shout and rushed at him.