The Return of the Crazy Demon-Chapter 276: I’m Going to Spread the Word

I asked the guy carrying the Yanghaejo man on his back:

“Is he alive?”

“He’s breathing.”

“Yeah? He almost became a guy who died from a single slap.”

“......”

I asked something that had been bugging me.

“Why is your sect called All-Encompassing Gate? Is it from ‘all things under heaven’?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

I looked around as I spoke.

“What do you people actually know? You’re not good at fighting, you don’t make an honest living, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} and from what I can tell, you're about my age. Instead, you're just leeching money from working people under the name of some scummy underworld faction.”

“......”

“You guys probably don’t worry even if you screw up, since you’re with All-Encompassing Gate, huh?”

As I kept grilling these underworld guys while walking, everyone stayed quiet and just listened to me. A few of them glanced at me sideways with narrow eyes as we passed.

“What? Is it boiling your blood to be called a piece of shit even though you still consider yourselves men? If you can’t stand it, go ahead and start something. No? What’s wrong with the underworld here? Don’t you have rival factions?”

“There are.”

“Where?”

“There’s Thunderclap Gate by the north gate, and Sky Hawk Gang by the east gate.”

“You don’t fight?”

“Not these days. Territories are split.”

“Peaceful underworld, huh. Living like good neighbors, milking your own merchants. Business must be good. I guess you even provide protection services. Though I have no idea from what.”

While I rambled, we arrived at All-Encompassing Gate.

The guy carrying Yanghaejo asked me,

“Are we going in?”

“Open it.”

Beyond the wall, carefree music and laughter mingled. There wasn’t even a gatekeeper, so I entered the place with my subordinates. The lights were on all around, and from outside, I could see shadows dancing in the second-story building in front of us.

An evening of booze, dancers, and music.

It looked so leisurely that I was genuinely taken aback. Following Yanghaejo’s men, I leapt up and crashed through the paper door on the second floor.

Two dancers let out short screams and stopped their dance.

The men seated on either side stood up. When the man in the center raised his hand, the music finally stopped.

I focused on the man I assumed to be the master of All-Encompassing Gate.

“You the Gate Master?”

As the men who had been waiting on either side drew their swords, the gate master raised his hand again and spoke.

“Everyone sit down. Who might you be, barging in like this?”

I’d been slightly drowsy until I got here, but the moment I sensed the gate master’s aura, the sleepiness vanished. I’d expected a small-time underworld boss, but instead, a man hardened by countless battles was staring right at me.

I introduced myself plainly.

“Master of Haomun.”

“Ah, the Haomun Master. I've heard the rumors. Bring out a seat for him, and let the dancers withdraw.”

A small tea table was placed directly across from the gate master, and the dancers quickly disappeared.

He spoke.

“I can't think of anything I’ve done to offend you. So why would you smash our door and show up like this?”

My eyes widened without meaning to.

‘What’s this? Refreshing.’

He wasn’t that old, but it had been a while since I saw such a proper underworld figure, so I sat down at the table.

Someone came rushing up from below and whispered to one of the seated officers, who then relayed the message to the gate master.

“Sir, Captain Yang of Yanghaejo was slapped unconscious by the Haomun Master. He still hasn't woken up.”

The gate master nodded.

“Understood. Looks like Captain Yang made a mistake.”

He looked at me and introduced himself first.

“I go by Sun Woo-jin. What did Captain Yang do to get slapped by the famous Haomun Master?”

He didn’t leave an opening in the question.

“I told him I was an herbalist, and he got greedy for my satchel.”

After casually answering, I took in the long sword on the wall, the hanging painting, the style of the tea table and chairs, the overall color tone, the faces of the subordinates, and the mood, then asked:

“Were you formerly in the military?”

Some of the officers looked a bit out of place, and the gate master was the same. Seems like there were quite a few with the rare surname Sun Woo. If that’s the case, they’re likely an underworld group originating from a clan.

The gate master nodded.

“My ancestor once served the state for a time.”

“So how did a general’s lineage end up in the underworld?”

“Our ancestor was a defeated general. He had his nose, ears, and fingers cut off and was paraded in public. After that, we were blacklisted. Though not officially branded traitors, we were treated like it. Ridicule and scorn left us no other path. That answer satisfy you?”

“I see.”

“I heard you're close with the Martial Alliance Leader and that you don’t even flinch in front of the Heavenly Alliance Leader. You must be very skilled. Since my subordinate was at fault, I’ll apologize in his place. Do you want something?”

As expected of an underworld boss—he got straight to the point.

“How many places pay tribute?”

He nodded as if he understood what I was really getting at.

“Over a hundred in total.”

“And what do you do with that money?”

“The fortress wall is gone now, but this area was once called Fort Mak. The entire region used to pay tribute to Sky Hawk Gang. I pushed them out a bit and now only collect half of what merchants used to give them. Originally, there were a lot of loafers here, and after feeding them, the clan funds alone weren’t enough to maintain the place.”

“What if you stop collecting?”

“Then I’d have to expel quite a few people from All-Encompassing Gate. We’d have to face Thunderclap Gate and Sky Hawk Gang on our own. I haven’t made that decision yet.”

“What’s the reputation of Thunderclap and Sky Hawk?”

“Similar to ours. As you said, we’re all underworld.”

“Any over-the-line business?”

“None on our end.”

I looked Sun Woo-jin up and down.

He seemed like a smart man, answering even short questions with precision. He wasn’t reckless enough to challenge me directly and generally aimed for resolution through conversation.

But he didn’t look like someone who couldn’t fight either. That long sword on the wall—no ordinary man could wield it.

Of course, you only truly learn about someone by watching over time.

But considering I planned to absorb the local merchants into Haomun, it might be worth considering whether to absorb All-Encompassing Gate altogether.

I can’t just suddenly settle in Fort Mak without a reason. If we’re talking efficiency, getting Sun Woo-jin to align with me would be best.

Until now, his subordinates hadn’t even opened their mouths once.

He asked,

“Would you care for some wine or tea? For reference, I never poison anyone, not even enemies. It's a family code.”

“Then make it Du River Wine.”

“Du River Wine it is.”

With just one word from Sun Woo-jin, footsteps echoed in the hallway. If it was poisoned, I could freeze the wine and throw it at him. I thought none of his men would speak, but a man to his left said,

“I heard the Haomun Master also fought the Demonic Cult. Did you know?”

Sun Woo-jin nodded.

“I did.”

At that moment, someone came up the stairs and reported:

“Captain Yang woke up and says he wants to apologize. What shall we do?”

“Bring him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Soon after, Yanghaejo entered, one side of his face swollen, and kneeled at a slight distance.

“Sir, I’m sorry.”

Sun Woo-jin asked,

“What exactly did you do to the Haomun Master? Your face is quite swollen. I’ll be asking others too, so don’t try to weasel out.”

Yanghaejo replied,

“Well, you see... I mistook him for an herbalist at the Hwanghak Inn and called out to him...”

“And then?”

“I tried to look through his satchel.”

Suddenly, Sun Woo-jin’s face turned beet red. He said to Yanghaejo:

“Apologize to the Haomun Master and go wait outside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yanghaejo looked at me and bowed his head.

“I apologize, Master.”

I looked at the now-upright Yanghaejo.

“Yang the Martial Artist.”

“Yes.”

“Were you the one who tampered with the price tag at the Hwanghak Inn?”

Yanghaejo looked stunned and couldn’t respond. One of the officers stood up, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and dragged him out. There was a crashing sound from the stairs, and then the officer returned after clearing his throat. Must’ve thrown him down.

Sun Woo-jin said,

“I’m an outsider even here, so I deliberately left the merchant dealings to the locals. That was my oversight.”

Meanwhile, the small tea table was now set with Du River Wine and cups.

A man in the middle suddenly apologized to the gate master.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Shut it.”

Must’ve been Yanghaejo’s direct superior.

I asked Sun Woo-jin,

“If All-Encompassing Gate, Thunderclap Gate, and Sky Hawk Gang all stop collecting tribute after negotiating, would the three of you starve to death?”

“No, we wouldn’t.”

“Then let’s do that.”

“To convey any kind of intent, we’d have to gather at the Moonwater Pavilion in central Fort Mak. But every time we’ve gathered there, a fight broke out. One time, Sima the Outsider even brought a master to attack me. So basically, only when one side was prepared to kill another leader outright—only then did we meet.”

I nodded.

“Gate Master.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve killed so many publicly registered martial criminals lately that there’s a hefty bounty on me.”

“I see.”

“With that kind of money, it wouldn't be enough to build a Martial Alliance branch here. But still, whether it’s a Martial Alliance branch or a Haomun branch, let them decide. Tell them the Haomun Master wants a visit.”

All the officers turned to look at me.

“For the record, I’ve helped the Martial Alliance many times but never asked for anything in return, so the Alliance Leader will take this seriously. Though it’s far from the main sect and might be hard to manage, if I offer to help, a branch will definitely be established here.”

I looked straight at Sun Woo-jin.

“Knowing Alliance Leader Im, he’ll probably lock up all three sect leaders and proceed from there. Summon them to Moonwater Pavilion. What’s my current reputation in Jianghu? Me offering a peaceful resolution like this is a rare thing. Whether it’s South Forest Bandits or local underworld scum, it’s all the same to me. If we can talk it out, let’s talk. What’s your take?”

Sun Woo-jin stared at me and asked:

“What if the other two leaders agree in front of you but go back to their old ways once you’re gone?”

I laughed.

“That’s strange. So they’re willing to risk their lives to earn a bit more? Do they really think the money merchants earn is theirs by default? Selling food, selling goods—how does that become your money? There are too many underworld scum across the land for me to kill them all. But sometimes, someone like me has to exist. To remind everyone that living off other people’s money isn’t something you get away with. And by the time they realize that...”

“......”

“...it’ll be when they’re already dead.”

“I’m a busy man. Send word now and tell them to come to Moonwater Pavilion. If they don’t, I’ll come knocking. Don’t all you underworld bastards sleep late anyway? No? I always thought that’s why you're underworld.”

At last, I poured the Du River Wine into a cup.

As it made a trickling sound and hit the cup, the wine instantly froze. I broke off the now-icy wine and handed it to one of the officers at the end of the row.

He took it with a confused look.

I told him,

“Suck on it. How am I supposed to know if it’s poisoned or not?”

The officer sighed lightly and started sucking on the frozen wine like it was candy. Seemed like he liked the taste, as he widened his eyes and kept sucking, then said to me:

“No poison, sir. Please enjoy.”

When I used internal heat to thaw the frozen wine bottle, it started pouring again. Watching this, Sun Woo-jin said to an officer:

“Prepare a message.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell them there’s an emergency meeting in one hour at Moonwater Pavilion. And that any sect not in attendance will be attacked by the joint forces of Haomun and All-Encompassing Gate. Note that the Haomun Master is personally present. Any additional warnings should be delivered verbally by the messenger. Also mention the possibility of a Martial Alliance branch being built.”

“Understood.”

No matter how strong my martial arts get, I need to deal with things like this directly. After all, I learned martial arts precisely to raise hell over behavior like this. My inn burned down, and I was so wronged I couldn’t just watch others go through the same.

I asked Sun Woo-jin, who had remained calm throughout:

“By the way, can you gauge my level of skill?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then why are you being so cooperative?”

“In the southern underworld, most prefer not to mess with someone who stood up to the Heavenly Alliance Leader. You’re the most prominent example.”

I shook my head.

“Saying I stood up to him is a bit off. That’s kind of insulting. I’m not his subordinate or anything.”

“I’ll correct myself.”

“How?”

“Teach me.”

“Tell every underworld scumbag you meet: I stormed the Heavenly Alliance alone. The only reason the fight with the leader didn’t finish was because the Beggars’ Sect Leader showed up and intervened. I didn’t ‘stand up to him.’ That’s insulting.”

Because I’m a petty man, I corrected his earlier phrasing too.

“And don’t say we’re forming an alliance. I could wipe out Thunderclap Gate and Sky Hawk Gang by myself. Are they Alliance Leader-level experts? No, right?”

“No, sir.”

At last, I eyed the Du River Wine with suspicion again, but ultimately didn’t drink it. Instead, I threatened the underworld one more time, just because I felt like it.

“Anyway, the biggest dumbasses are the ones I’ll say are my sworn brothers. And then what’ll happen?”

The gate master and his officers looked at me, confused.

So I gave them the answer.

“They’ll get assassinated by the Demonic Cult.”

As they all failed to laugh, I laughed alone.

“Let’s get along well from now on.”

No one responded.