Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 71 - Uncle General Gongsun

Chapter 71 – Uncle General Gongsun

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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At Ju-seong’s cry, a shifty-looking man raised one eyebrow and retorted.

“The little rat’s right here. What do you want?”

Ju-seong tilted his head at the man’s response.

The fact that he brushed it off so casually despite being mocked as a rat, and the way he showed appropriate courtesy after roughly figuring out Ju-seong was a martial artist…

He looked like an uncultured street ruffian, yet there was a peculiar sense that he was quite resourceful and used his head.

“Well, would you look at this fellow.”

Ju-seong strode out and stared down at the man who was slouching behind a table.

Taking a closer look, his face was shifty like a rat’s, a mean-looking physiognomy. On the other hand, his build was quite sturdy.

When Ju-seong glared at him, the rat didn’t back down either, raising his head to meet his eyes.

“Hmm…”

Ju-seong’s eyes glinted with interest as he slightly lifted the constraint of the Stillness-Bright Incantation, revealing the killing intent hidden beneath.

The rat’s pupils trembled endlessly, yet he stubbornly didn’t avert his eyes.

When Ju-seong soon smirked and withdrew his killing intent, the rat panted like mad and collapsed onto the table.

“D-Damn… What are you? I really almost pissed myself and saw my ancestors just now.”

His words weren’t empty talk… a slight stench of urine had reached Ju-seong’s nose.

Not enough to soak his pants; it seemed he was in the middle of letting loose and clenched to hold it back.

The fact that he cut it off midway was also a skill in its own right, so Ju-seong was inwardly impressed.

He was a man who fit in perfectly at this bottom of society, yet at the same time, it seemed a waste for him to rot in such a place. It was a contradictory thought, but that was indeed the case.

He had adapted better than anyone to the bottom, yet his courage deserved to be called admirable.

One might ask how someone who had pissed himself could have good courage, but…

‘The fact that he didn’t avert his eyes is truly remarkable.’

This man, who didn’t look away even when Ju-seong, born with the Heavenly Killing Star constitution, deliberately leaked killing intent and glared at him, was truly a catch among catches.

Ju-seong patted the collapsed man’s back and laughed.

“My, my… This fellow’s quite something. There’s spirit in those eyes. Why is someone with such good courage bullying powerless people? I’m dying to know. Usually, tormenting the weak is the exclusive domain of cowardly bastards.”

When he sneered, several hulking men surrounded Ju-seong menacingly, perhaps feeling their boss had been insulted.

“Who are you?”

“What did you do to our Big Bro?”

“Who do you think you are? I don’t know what you’re relying on, acting like this in Chengdu’s back alleys.”

The rat, who had been reeling in a daze, barely managed to speak and mumbled.

“Stop it, you dumb bastards…”

-Thp-thp, thp!

Three or four very faint striking sounds echoed through the clearing.

“Urgh…”

Three men rolled their eyes back and collapsed on the spot.

The rat exclaimed in alarm.

“Pressure point technique…?”

“No, I just hit them fast.”

Ju-seong answered indifferently, then placed his hand on the rat’s shoulder.

“Now, Mister Rat…”

While casually glancing up, Ju-seong was slightly startled by what he saw before him.

“My, just look at these people’s eyes… No dreams, no hope. That old Wang fellow from earlier must be exactly average for this neighborhood…”

“He’s not average for this neighborhood. These bastards are the bottom even among the back alleys. They’re our gambling den’s regular customers.”

At the rat’s words, several of the lined-up fellows flared up and shouted.

“Dong-sam, you dog bastard! What did you say?”

The rat’s name was apparently Dong-sam.

“When I win money and get out of this dump, I’ll use you as my doormat, you piece of shit.”

They showed no sign of cowering even against the gangster Dong-sam. Not because they had overflowing spirit, but because they had nothing to lose.

Dong-sam shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Ju-seong.

“You saw that? That’s about how it is.”

“And you’re the owner of that dreamland?”

“Dreamland? Oh… The gambling den? Haha, dreamland, what a funny name. I’m not the owner. My uncle runs it. Not my real uncle though. Just what we call him. Uncle Gongsun.”

“A descendant of General Gongsun Zan from the late Han dynasty?”

Ju-seong asked without much thought, but Dong-sam slapped the table and laughed so hard he nearly choked to death.

After laughing like a madman, he barely managed to catch his breath and said.

“…General, he says!”

And then he lost it again for a full half quarter-hour.

Ju-seong watched the spectacle with a sour expression and spoke.

“Now… Get a grip, you lunatic. Guide me to the gambling den. I need to meet this Uncle Gongsun or whoever.”

At Ju-seong’s words, Dong-sam roughly nodded and stood up.

“Sure thing. Alright, scraps! No collection today. Get lost, you worthless shits! Go look at your kids’ faces one more time. Look for some work in the marketplace too. Pathetic bastards.”

When his order dropped, the destitute people lining the clearing dispersed like cockroaches while muttering curses.

“You might not believe it looking at this, but there are plenty of people in this neighborhood who work hard. They’re not here at this hour because they’re all working. Or they work at night and are sleeping now.”

Dong-sam showed no hesitation even while guiding Ju-seong. Knowing he was a martial artist at an unmanageable level, he probably wasn’t trying to lead him into a trap…

“You don’t seem very attached to your workplace.”

“Huh? Oh, you think I look disloyal guiding you so readily? They say martial world folk live and die by loyalty. Where would trash like me have any of that?”

“I have no intention of criticizing you.”

“Pardon?”

“Running a gambling den and even loansharking to suck the blood of have-nots… being loyal to such a person would make you an even worse bastard. Direction matters for loyalty and devotion.”

“…”

Dong-sam made a peculiar expression. It was the face of someone encountering a martial artist like this for the first time, despite all the ones who strutted around.

After all, Dong-sam himself was also part of the bunch that sucked blood from the poor.

“…The place is over there, so I’ll escort you. Ha, from today, those who gambled in our North Gate back alleys won’t be having any fun.”

“Why?”

“Well, you’re going to smash it all up, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

The gambling den was a rather presentable pavilion on the outskirts of the slum.

The higher the floor, the bigger the stakes, but perhaps mindful of appearances as a gambling den, it only went up to three floors.

The slum customers all used the gambling den’s basement, while the first floor was for greeting guests and serving meals.

The second and third floors were prepared for wealthy commoners.

Dong-sam casually went down to the basement and asked a colleague.

“Is Uncle Gongsun here?”

“No. Looks like he went out on business.”

“Is that so? I need to see him right now.”

“Why?”

“This customer here wants to break Uncle’s limbs and ask him some questions.”

Perhaps Dong-sam’s voice was a bit loud, because the entire gambling den fell into silence.

Those gambling and those managing the gambling den alike.

Meanwhile, Dong-sam had already slipped away and hidden in a corner, appearing to be on neither his colleagues’ side nor Ju-seong’s.

It was indeed a rat-like action. Looking at his build, he seemed like he could put up a fight, but he knew exactly when to protect himself.

Ju-seong scratched his head vigorously, then set down the bundle he was carrying on his back and spoke.

“Anyone want to leave? No? Then I’ll lock the door.”

The moment Ju-seong turned and put the latch on the underground gambling den’s door, a piercing sound came from behind.

-Thwack!

The sharply honed blade was stopped by a hand that hadn’t even been infused with energy.

Ju-seong smiled crookedly.

“What can you do? My equipment’s just that good.”

He had no intention of showing mercy. Everyone here was the type who would commit any atrocity for money.

From the smell of blood filling the basement, it seemed at least half had already committed such deeds.

In short, he had no intention of overwhelming them from the start with his martial prowess and making them surrender.

Ju-seong began to fight using only the strength of his body reborn through Samadhi Body Refinement, without even using internal energy.

A punch to the face of the one who had swung the knife.

His nose was crushed flat, and droplets of blood floated into the air.

The round droplets rose high, reflecting the scenery of the entire underground gambling den.

A single beast was plunging into the flock of sheep, sowing chaos in its wake.

-Swish.

As if thrusting out a sword, Ju-seong’s index and middle fingers spread apart and shot forward.

The eyes of the burly man at the front, who was warming up, bulged wide.

-Squelch!

Two fingers plunged into each of the man’s eyeballs.

“Aaaaaargh!”

The scream signaled the start of battle. The blood droplet that had floated into the air stopped rising and finally fell.

“There’s a pouch full of silver in my bosom!”

Ju-seong shouted loud enough to shake the entire gambling den.

“…Come and take it.”

He said quietly, then extended his hook-curved hand and grabbed one man by the scruff.

He delivered a side kick to the one trying to stab him with a short sword from the side, shattering his ribs.

Meanwhile, two men came charging with a wine bottle and a chair.

He pushed forward the body of the one he had grabbed by the scruff to block them.

The wine bottle shattered and the chair smashed to pieces. The one hit by his comrades screamed. Of course, no one cared.

“What moving comradeship, ten points.”

Ju-seong charged like a tiger. He grabbed the faces of the two who had swung the bottle and chair with both hands, and slammed them into the floor.

-CRASH!

Then came a club swinging at him. He could easily dodge with just footwork, but he deliberately used the Carp Strikes the Boat technique.

-Thwack! Thwack!

The ones who had been slammed face-first into the floor and lay unconscious received cudgel blows to their backs.

-Whoosh!

Ju-seong did a flip like an acrobat, then landed standing on a table.

“My, whoever was sitting here must have had some nice tiles. Quite a good hand was dealt.”

“Kill ‘im!”

A middle-aged man with his tongue half cut off shrieked and charged. He had apparently lost his tongue gambling but couldn’t kick the habit, so he was back here again.

Ju-seong kicked the game tiles hoping the man would never touch gambling again.

-CRACK!

The middle-aged man’s wrist immediately shattered and dangled.

“Oh.”

Ju-seong was mildly impressed by the hardness of the tiles, and kicked and sent more tiles flying with a flippant dance of his legs.

-Crack! Crack-crack-crack! Crack! Thud!

The ruffians gathered like fish around the table he stood on.

Ju-seong scattered game tiles in all directions as if feeding them.

The tiles flew, leaving white trails like meteors before lodging in the eyes of those swarming in, embedding in mouths, striking throats, smashing philtrums, and shattering fingers.

“Heave ho!”

Ju-seong did another flip above the table, then landed on its edge.

“Thousand-Pound Weight!”

Ju-seong announced the first practical use of the Thousand-Pound Weight with an excited heart.

-THOOM…!

The table, suddenly weighted on one side, flipped over with a whoosh.

Game tiles and wine cups that had remained on the table scattered chaotically through the air.

Ju-seong spun around and gently pushed the table falling toward him with both palms.

-CRASH!

The table hurtled toward the enemies with tremendous wind pressure.

A moment later, the path the table had taken was spotlessly clean without a single ant.

They were all tangled together on the wall over there, collapsed and unconscious amid the table fragments.

Ju-seong carefully broke the arms and legs of those still charging at him with their eyes rolled back despite this chaos.

He was especially thorough with those carrying bladed weapons and exuding killing intent, leaving them barely able to hold chopsticks for the rest of their lives.

“…I haven’t done this serious a gamble myself, so I wouldn’t know. But I can tell it’s something you shouldn’t touch.”

He wrinkled his nose as he finished breaking the wrist of the last one.

“There’s a faint smell of children.”

He kept sniffing and muttering.

“Not here though…”

Dong-sam, who had crawled out from the darkness, answered.

“Only Uncle knows where they take the kids.”

“Is that so? Our Uncle Gongsun has many secrets, doesn’t he? I should ask when he comes. Our Uncle General Gongsun, I’m already missing him.”

“Ah, this General thing is really killing me.”

Dong-sam kept giggling for some reason.

That afternoon.

The middle-aged man called Uncle Gongsun by those around him, who came rushing in belatedly upon hearing something had happened at the gambling den, couldn’t help but be dumbfounded at the scene before him.

Having picked the lock and entered the underground gambling den.

Blood was splattered everywhere, and bodies that might be dead or unconscious were strewn about carelessly, and in the midst of it…

“Dae-woong! You can do it! I believe in you!”

“Cheong-gwi! Bite with your jaw! Hey, don’t try to match strength! Are you going to lose to the one that rat bastard is cheering for?”

Two pathetic-looking young men were engaged in heated cheering over something on a table.

“Wait, that’s…”

Looking closely, weren’t those the two most expensive crickets in Uncle Gongsun’s gambling den?

Cricket fighting, known as Doushuaishuai, was one of the gambling den’s main sources of income.

The two crickets, Dae-woong and Cheong-gwi, who were on a winning streak and slated to be matched later for massive profits.

Seeing some lunatics had taken them out and made them fight, Uncle Gongsun’s mind went blank and his jaw dropped.

What kind of premature finals was this?

As if just noticing Uncle Gongsun, the clean-faced stranger smiled brightly and greeted him.

“General Gongsun, you’re here?”