Chapter 17
“…You came to pay back the money?”
Choi Ho was dumbfounded.
“Is this bastard out of his mind?”
If he came to repay his debt, then fine—but how dare he wreck the gang hideout like this?
“Do you even know how much it costs per day to train my men? Even if you worked your whole life, you still wouldn’t be able to ea—”
Mid-rant, Choi Ho suddenly realized something was off.
‘But how did this guy beat up my men?’
He still had that skinny frame. So lacking in muscle that even his waist looked slightly hunched.
Sure, he was holding a long wooden staff, but the gang members all carried well-sharpened daggers or real blades. Just looking at the weapons, the gang should’ve overwhelmed Mo Yong-bi.
‘No—forget weapons. Even bare-handed, how could they lose to someone like him?!’
At that moment, Mo Yong-bi slowly stepped forward.
The gang members sprawled on the floor flinched and retreated, inch by inch.
Choi Ho’s expression hardened.
‘They’re scared?’
The Black Tiger Gang’s main force were all hardened thugs.
Even if their skills varied, their viciousness was second to none. People even said you couldn’t join the main branch unless you’d beaten at least two members of your own family.
And yet fear was plainly etched across their faces.
‘No matter what… to this extent?’
So what if they’d broken limbs and vomited blood? These madmen were afraid of that?
Then Mo Yong-bi spoke.
“By the way, did you only recruit mental cases under you?”
“What?”
“That guy’s name was… ah, right. Gahang, wasn’t it?”
“…?!”
“He came barging into my family home in the middle of the night, screaming about how I’d be in trouble if I didn’t pay back the money. So I went to see him—and suddenly he says I don’t have to pay.”
“…?”
“Isn’t that hilarious? He was the one demanding repayment, but when I went in person, he says it’s fine. Isn’t that disrespecting the debtor’s sincerity?”
Why would that be disrespect? Shouldn’t he be grateful instead?
Choi Ho asked despite himself.
“So?”
“The more I thought about it, the less normal it seemed. I tried to have a serious talk—and suddenly he started shoving bribes at me.”
Choi Ho’s eyes widened.
“B-bribes?”
“There was sincerity in the offering. Hard to refuse that, right? Thanks to that, I got some money, so I came straight here to repay it. But your men said I couldn’t even see the boss unless I gave notice first.”
Mo Yong-bi sighed deeply and shook his head.
“Isn’t that ridiculous? Why refuse to meet someone who came to pay? Did you quit loan-sharking while I wasn’t looking?”
“I didn’t quit—”
“Even if you did. Since when do you need an appointment to meet some back-alley trash? You think that makes sense?”
Killing intent flared across Choi Ho’s face.
“Crazy bastard!”
He’d humored the nonsense long enough. This was clearly a madman.
And madmen needed to be beaten into submission—cripple his legs so he’d never walk again, sever his hands so he couldn’t even feed himself.
But first, there was something to confirm.
“Was it you? You’re the one who chopped off Gahang’s fingers?”
“He was too excited, so I let some blood out for him.”
“…And you smashed his jaw too?”
“He had a speech problem. Thought it’d be better if he never spoke again.”
Choi Ho exercised the last shred of patience he had left.
“No matter how stupid Gahang is, he wouldn’t pass out after laying out valuables in plain sight. You stole his hidden assets, didn’t you?”
Mo Yong-bi replied indifferently.
“Stole? Don’t accuse me of being a thief.”
“What? You didn’t steal them?”
There should’ve been far more than a few gold ornaments and artworks.
“I didn’t steal anything. I received donations. He was begging me to take them.”
“….”
“Do you know how hard it was carrying all that heavy stuff?”
“You son of a bitch!”
All doubts vanished at once.
Mo Yong-bi had attacked Gahang, looted everything, tossed a few valuables into a pit, and vanished like a ghost.
“You dare steal the main branch’s property and think you’d walk away alive?!”
“I told you, I didn’t steal anything.”
“Stop spewing bullshit!”
“Woof woof.”
“…?!”
“Anyway, I came to pay my debt. But you have something to pay too, don’t you?”
Choi Ho froze.
“Pay?”
“Yes.”
“We pay you?”
“More like you pay us.”
“…For what?”
“For polluting this scenic, peaceful neighborhood with trash.”
“….”
“Environmental destruction through aggressive waste dumping. Let’s say one hundred thousand nyang.”
That was the last straw.
“Drag that bastard to the lord’s chamber!”
Thirty elite members of the Black Tiger Squad drew their blades and advanced.
Choi Ho turned away without even looking.
He might’ve learned a trick or two somewhere, but there was no way he could handle the Black Tiger Squad. They weren’t like the fallen Blue Tiger Squad.
‘What a joke.’
More than anger, it felt draining.
‘The main branch got played by just one brat?’
That was why he’d secretly reached out to the Ten Sword Sect.
‘Still…’
After taking a few steps, Choi Ho tilted his head.
‘Why did he do all that?’
Stealing Gahang’s money was one thing.
But smashing his jaw and leaving valuables behind made no sense.
‘Breaking his jaw out of anger, maybe. But why abandon such expensive items?’
He would’ve taken everything.
‘Hmm… was he trying to sow chaos?’
That seemed logical.
But then another question arose.
‘If he was coming here anyway, why bother?’
A day wouldn’t change anything.
Choi Ho couldn’t understand.
But for Mo Yong-bi, that single day was worth more than gold. In one day, he’d formed his dantian and accumulated internal energy.
And he needed to reassure Mo Yong Su-jeong. Nothing mattered more than that.
‘Whatever.’
Choi Ho resumed walking.
‘You arrogant bastard. I’ll tear your limbs off myself.’
That was when—
BAM! CLANG! CRACK!
A far sharper, more brutal sound than before erupted.
“Told you so.”
It should’ve ended in a few exchanges.
CRUNCH! SNAP!
“Huh?”
Something broke.
Choi Ho frowned and turned around.
“You idiots! Just tie him up and bring—!”
Something flew at him at terrifying speed.
BOOOOM!
A body smashed through the main gate and brushed past his shoulder.
THUD!
The heavy impact sounded like a heart dropping.
Swallowing hard, Choi Ho turned slowly.
“Gasp!”
It was a man.
A Black Tiger Squad member in black martial garb—his body twisted grotesquely. Limbs bent the wrong way, neck snapped at an impossible angle, chest caved in like it’d been struck by iron.
Instant death.
Yet his limbs twitched.
Choi Ho swallowed again.
Thirty years in the underworld—and he’d never seen a corpse this horrific.
‘What… what is this?!’
A dream…?
His ears rang. He heard nothing.
He turned his head again.
And there stood an enraged lion slaughtering rabbits pretending to be tigers.
THUD! CRACK! CRUNCH!
Blood sprayed. Bones shattered with every swing.
The staff didn’t look fast—yet every strike landed. It looked like the men were throwing themselves into it.
CRUNCH!
“Aaaargh!”
SMASH!
“My arm!”
In moments, fifteen were down.
Not fast—just continuous.
Mo Yong-bi slipped into their ranks, spinning the staff with both hands and swinging in all directions.
BA-BA-BA-BAM!
Like a flower blooming.
Eight more fell instantly.
None rose again. Strikes to brows, philtrum, throat, solar plexus—every vital point hit.
Five died outright. The rest lost consciousness.
Mo Yong-bi turned his head.
One frozen man screamed.
“Aaaaaah!”
Too raw to be human.
Instead of fleeing, he charged, blade raised. The remaining seven followed.
Desperate eradication of the source of terror.
Choi Ho wanted to shout Stop!—but no sound came out.
Mo Yong-bi flicked his wrist.
The staff traced a gentle circle.
CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLANG!
Every blade flew away.
“You call this martial arts?”
WHOOSH! CRACK!
One man collapsed, skull shattered.
“Brainless techniques—relying solely on brute force.”
THUD! BAM-BAM!
Now the slow staff left afterimages.
Jaws shattered. Shoulders collapsed. Knees crushed. Spines broken.
No internal energy was even properly infused.
And finally—
“Gaaah!”
The last man raised both blades—
Mo Yong-bi planted the staff, kicked it forward.
THUNK! CRACK!
It pierced through the man’s mouth and teeth.
THUD!
He twitched, then went limp.
“Tsk.”
Mo Yong-bi pulled the staff free.
Teeth and blood dripped down.
“Three-tenths internal energy? One-tenth was enough.”
Even that was mostly spent using Silk-Wrapped Force earlier.
His body was too damaged to use his former techniques.
“These guys were so pathetic it wasn’t even worth it.”
“Still… my stamina’s trash.”
He muttered.
“Need some tonics.”
Then he looked up at Choi Ho.
Choi Ho stared back, mouth hanging open.
Mo Yong-bi tilted the staff.
“Come here.”
