CRD 20

Chapter 20

As he walked toward the main gate, Moyong Bi thought to himself.

Feels like I’m about to take flight.

It was truly refreshing.

Even the nausea that felt like his stomach was shaking as if from an earthquake couldn’t be felt at this moment.

It’s not just a hundred thousand nyang. Even at a rough count, it’s closer to a hundred and thirty thousand.

Choi Ho probably had even more wealth. If a lowly underling like Gahang had hidden away embezzled funds, there was no way Choi Ho hadn’t done the same.

Still, he didn’t get greedy beyond that. Anything in excess only causes indigestion. The money wrung from Gahang and Choi Ho alone was more than enough to run the family without major issues.

…No, honestly, he did want more.

He had lived his whole life without worrying about money, but now that the family had fallen into this state, money suddenly mattered far more than he liked.

Enough. Poking around too much will only invite disaster. For now, this is just right.

One of Moyong Bi’s strengths—

At a glance, he seemed impulsive, driven by temperament, but he knew when to advance and when to stop.

War, politics, rebuilding a clan—everything was ultimately done by people. Eliminating enemies, forging alliances, building power—everything followed a framework.

Moyong Bi’s instincts, sharpened by experience, were functioning perfectly.

From here on, it’s the real beginning.

The immediate financial problem had been resolved, and even the trouble caused by his grandnephew had been cleaned up. From now on, he could live solely for the revival of the clan.

There’ll be plenty of obstacles. I’d like things to go smoothly, but in the Jianghu, that’s wishful thinking.

Moyong Bi pressed a hand to his chest.

Just the fact that I’m carrying this…

The red ledger.

The Black Tiger Gang had been annihilated. The gang leader was dead. Even the leader’s residence had been burned to the ground.

Naturally, the people listed in that ledger would start probing, openly or secretly. Even if they didn’t know for certain the ledger existed, they would act as if it did.

Despite his refreshed mood, the situation was extremely dangerous.

The most troublesome ones were the sects with influence in Wuxian.

Damn it.

Even knowing this, his insides twisted in irritation.

Picking fights with trash I’d never even heard of twenty years ago… this body really feels inadequate.

If he still had the martial arts he wielded as Alliance Leader, he would’ve stormed in immediately, smashed everything, and walked out without a care.

But reality was reality.

Back then, even the great sects would turn stupid with a single shout. Now, he’d be laughed at even if he stripped naked and raged in front of some no-name mid-tier sect’s ordinary warrior.

I don’t care about myself. Sujeong and Suhyang are the problem.

Would the two girls be able to endure?

They’ll endure. But it won’t be easy.

Moyong Bi’s eyes glinted.

That was why he was openly carrying the bundle of IOUs.

From the moment he smashed down the Black Tiger Gang’s gate, he had seen the crowd gathering. By now, there had to be at least a hundred people.

That was more than enough for rumors to spread.

If it’s going to happen anyway, better that I control it. Let’s draw the picture myself.

That was when—

“Hm?”

“Who are you?”

In front of the destroyed gate stood a young woman who looked familiar, and a swordsman in his mid-thirties.

Moyong Bi tilted his head.

Have I seen them before…?

Suddenly, the moment he first woke up in his grandnephew’s body came back to him.

Ah! The Huang girl from the Ten Sword Sect?!

Huang Inhwa was equally shocked.

“Moyong Gongja?!”

She couldn’t help it. The Moyong Bi she knew was always irritable yet timid—so frail that even a girl’s weak punch could knock him over.

But the man before her now?

His posture is upright.

It was slightly stooped, yet his center felt strangely stable.

It wasn’t from muscle. It was the posture of someone accustomed to standing that way.

“Don’t tell me…”

Huang Inhwa asked, stunned.

“Was it you who reduced the Black Tiger Gang to this state?”

Moyong Bi didn’t answer.

Not because he was ignoring her—he genuinely hadn’t heard her.

These bastards…

When he first saw the ledger, he’d merely thought so that’s how it is. But now that she was here, it was clear.

So the drunken idiot borrowed money from the Black Tiger Gang because of that scheming little thing?

More than half of the tribute entries in the red ledger belonged to the Ten Sword Sect.

More than half by count—but nearly eighty percent by amount. Even if you added up all the other bribes, they wouldn’t reach thirty percent of what went to the Ten Sword Sect.

In other words, the Ten Sword Sect had effectively been backing the Black Tiger Gang.

There was no way the sect leader’s daughter didn’t know.

So young, yet already learned nothing but rotten tricks.

He wanted to crush her right there—but with the crowd nearby, he restrained himself.

“Do you have something to say?”

“…Pardon?”

“If not, move aside. I’m busy.”

His tone was blunt.

It couldn’t be helped. Even if the grandnephew had been an idiot, anyone who pulled strings behind the scenes wasn’t going to look good to him.

Huang Inhwa’s expression hardened.

“Listen here, Moyong Gongja.”

“Are you going to move?”

“…What did you say?”

Without a word, Moyong Bi picked up a wooden staff lying nearby.

Instantly, Myeong drew his sword.

Clang!

The blade trembled faintly—an emergency draw.

It was clean. Whatever his actual skill level, he had at least been taught properly.

Still, it didn’t impress Moyong Bi.

“How dare you think of attacking the precious daughter of the Ten Sword Sect—”

“Who said anything about attacking?”

“…?!”

“If you don’t move, I’ll remove you. Not attack. So pull your idiot master aside. I’m busy as hell—why are you blocking my way and causing a scene?”

Myeong’s mouth fell open. Huang Inhwa’s too.

That… that way of speaking…

Not the eldest son of the Moyong Clan—he sounded like a debt collector from the Black Tiger Gang.

Crude. Openly vulgar. And yet, beneath it all was an inexplicable pressure that made the impression deeply unsettling.

One thing was certain—this was nothing like the Moyong Bi they knew.

Still, Huang Inhwa couldn’t let it slide.

“Moyong Gongja, you seem to have become much more violent since we last met.”

“When did we ever meet?”

“What?”

“I’ve seen a matchmaker kindly guiding someone to loan money from the Flame King Fort. But I don’t recall ever meeting such a pretty young lady.”

“…?!”

“Or am I mistaken? Were you that matchmaker?”

Huang Inhwa’s face burned red.

“Hey!”

Moyong Bi’s face twisted with irritation.

“Move. Before I move you myself.”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

Myeong’s face went pale.

“My lady!”

She’d forgotten again—when agitated, her impulsive and hot-blooded nature surfaced.

And one crucial fact—

The man who destroyed the Black Tiger Gang might really be Moyong Bi.

They felt it immediately.

Fwoooosh!

Huang Inhwa’s face turned deathly pale.

Myeong instinctively lowered his stance.

This…!

This wasn’t just cold sweat.

It felt like being a rabbit caught in a trap—while a starving tiger closed in.

It wasn’t quite battle aura. Too vicious.

Not exactly killing intent either. Too unruly.

It was closer to madness.

“You see,” Moyong Bi said.

As he pressed down on his head and took slow steps forward, a dark haze seemed to rise around his body.

Sssssss—

They could even hear the sound of scorching steam. His presence alone was causing auditory hallucinations.

“I was born with a bit of a mental problem. I get angry easily. Irritated easily.”

Despite his slow pace, Myeong couldn’t retreat—or attack.

It’s huge.

It felt like a monster was approaching, belching black smoke.

His vision darkened.

As a warrior, being crushed by an opponent’s presence without swinging once was a humiliation beyond words.

Yet before this monster, even shame felt meaningless.

He just wanted to run.

If it meant escaping, he could abandon his sword without hesitation.

Still, he endured—barely.

What held him up was the discipline of a thoroughly trained bodyguard.

“I used to have decent self-control. But these days, since I’m starting over from scratch, once I ignite… I don’t cool down easily.”

Thump.

Huang Inhwa collapsed to the ground.

Her legs had given out before Moyong Bi’s raw ferocity.

“So don’t provoke people before the fire really starts. Got it?”

Myeong nodded frantically.

Moyong Bi swung the wooden staff left and right.

The intent was obvious.

Myeong immediately dragged Huang Inhwa aside.

Only then did Moyong Bi release the presence amplified by the Thunder Heart Art.

Whooooo—

A cold wind swept through, cooling their heads.

“Haaah!”

“Hhhhk!”

Only now could they breathe properly.

Myeong stared at Moyong Bi in terror.

Impossible. Is that really the Moyong Bi I knew?

Then Moyong Bi stopped.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

He turned his head toward Huang Inhwa.

She swallowed hard, saliva dripping from her mouth without her noticing.

“Tell that matchmaker this—he and I need to talk. Privately.”

“…?!”

“If he can’t, you can take his place.”

He intended to dig into what the grandnephew and Huang Inhwa had planned with that hundred nyang.

For now, more urgent matters awaited. Beating answers out of them would be easy—but too many eyes were watching.

And one more thing.

Moyong Bi grinned and pulled out the red ledger.

“There’s a lot of interesting stuff written in here. That gang leader was very thorough.”

“…!!”

“See you later.”

Huang Inhwa’s already pale face turned ashen.

A ledger?!

What could possibly be written in the ledger found in Choi Ho’s residence?

The answer was obvious.

“W-Wait! Moyong Gongja!”

Ignoring her, Moyong Bi crossed the gate.

The crowd buzzed loudly. Some recognized him and gasped.

“That— that young man!”

“Are you blind? That’s the eldest son of the Moyong Clan!”

“What?! Moyong Bi?!”

“But the Moyong heir can’t use martial arts—”

At that moment, Moyong Bi casually waved his hand.

With that single, careless gesture, the crowd fell silent.

To command silence from so many with one motion—this was no easy feat.

The presence of a man who had ruled over countless martial artists for twenty years.

At moments like this, that innate authority shone unmistakably.

Moyong Bi spoke bluntly.

“As of today, the Black Tiger Gang has fallen.”

Shock spread through the crowd.

“And—”

He raised the bundle of IOUs.

“These hundreds of debt contracts—I will burn them all, here and now.”