Chapter 60
The Tower of Effort Collapses (3)
For the past two years, he had seen these faces too often to mistake them.
“The one behind is the Broken Sword Guard, beside him is the former Po-du, and…”
All twenty or so of them were familiar faces.
The rest were also local guards.
Among them, the only person Eunyeong did not recognize was Kang Yong-woon.
“That irritating brat…”
Eunyeong’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t that the guy I saw at the An Gang-hyeon continental battlefield?!”
He was sticking close to Wang Jeong-ha.
It was definitely the same young man from the An Gang-hyeon battlefield.
“Huh? At this hour, why would An Gang-hyeon’s young inspector come here with that brat?!”
A sudden doubt struck him.
The situation felt far too strange.
“What has Baek-ryeong been doing? After checking how Ji-hyeon got past the Loneliness, he should have quickly identified and reported it when someone like that appeared.”
Flash.
The thought struck Eunyeong’s mind instantly.
‘That brat… is it him? Did he solve the Loneliness?’
Did he come to check if Ji-hyeon here had also been affected by the Loneliness?
‘Is this a leap of logic… or is it the truth?’
Thump, thump, thump.
Eunyeong’s heart raced. He had to find out.
Silently, he descended from the tree and began following them quietly from dozens of paces behind.
It did not take Kang Yong-woon long to reach the official residence where the Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon was staying.
Although it was still early, it was a matter of life and death, and the urgent message had been delivered to Ji-hyeon’s attendant despite the rudeness of the request.
“Lord Ji-hyeon! An urgent secret letter has arrived from Lord Ji-hyeon of An Gang-hyeon! Lives are at stake. Please review it immediately!”
His voice was so loud that even Eunyeong, dozens of paces away, heard it clearly.
“What? A secret letter from Ji-hyeon of An Gang-hyeon?”
And lives were at stake?!
Eunyeong’s racing heart plummeted. It finally made sense.
“So, it’s him.”
There was no longer any doubt.
The answer felt certain.
“The unknown brat—he’s the one who resolved the Loneliness embedded in An Gang-hyeon Ji-hyeon’s heart!”
The situation became clear.
“After that, he probably came to check if Ji-hyeon here had also succumbed to the Loneliness.”
That must be it.
Otherwise, why would the An Gang-hyeon inspectors converge at this hour, bringing along the unknown brat to meet Ji-hyeon here?
But why hadn’t Baek-ryeong, whom he had dispatched, noticed this movement?
“Could he not have known when they moved like that?”
No, he must have known.
“But he probably got caught by that brat. Surely, he and the inspectors worked together.”
It was entirely possible.
Even if the young brat was only just reaching his peak in poison mastery, if dozens of inspectors assisted him, it made sense.
“Damn it!”
Eunyeong’s mind raced.
“What should I do?”
Should he just stand by and watch as the brat removes the Loneliness from Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon and his children?
Would that mean losing the two perfectly fine Hoeryeong again?
“What if I kill that unknown brat before he can manipulate the Loneliness?”
What if he personally handled the brat, who seemed to use poison, and let the five Hoeryeong waiting in Sunyang-hyeon handle the inspectors and the puppet-like guards?
“That’s possible, but…”
He couldn’t.
If a battle broke out, the two hundred guards stationed in Sunyang-hyeon would all swarm out, exposing Baek-ryeong’s identity to the world.
The time wasn’t right yet.
“Damn, damn it!”
So there was only one choice.
Swish—! Paang!
Eunyeong unleashed his divine technique to retreat the Hoeryeong to their hidden shelter.
Thump-thump.
Kang Yong-woon’s heart began to race.
‘What’s going on?’
He lifted his head and looked around carefully.
‘No one’s here?’
No trace of Baek-ryeong’s inner power could be seen anywhere.
But Kang Yong-woon’s heart continued to race.
A brief silence fell.
Though rustling sounds came from inside, Ji-hyeon still did not step outside.
The precious time slipped by uselessly.
Unable to endure it any longer, Wang Jeong-ha stepped forward.
“Ahem. Deputy Commander, please have them reveal themselves once more.”
“Ha—!”
The Deputy Commander grimaced at the request, whispering reluctantly.
“The lord drank heavily yesterday… please understand. It might take some time.”
“Damn!”
Wang Jeong-ha was also frustrated, empathizing with Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon, who could only soothe himself with alcohol.
‘If what Master Kang said is true, due to the Loneliness, not only he but also his children are being held hostage…’
He steadied his resolve.
The solution had arrived, hadn’t it?
Kang Yong-woon, who had once swiftly resolved An Gang-hyeon’s chronic problem.
-Please hurry. It’s urgent.
-Ah! Understood.
Exchanging glances with Kang Yong-woon, Wang Jeong-ha relayed part of the letter’s content.
“Tell him we’ve come to save Lord Ji-hyeon and his family—”
“Wha—?”
The Deputy Commander was stunned.
“Lord Ji-hyeon and his family?”
“Yes.”
His face went pale.
‘We’re in serious trouble.’
There was no time to waste.
“Lord Ji-hyeon! An urgent letter has arrived from Lord Ji-hyeon of An Gang-hyeon!”
Wang Jeong-ha gauged the reaction and shouted again, louder this time.
“They say they’ve come to save you and your family!”
It worked.
“Wh-what?”
The groggy voice of Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon began to be heard.
“You’re saying you’ll save me and my family… is this true…?”
Before he could even finish speaking—
“Ahhhh!”
Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon let out a dreadful scream as he tried to get up.
“My lord!”
The Deputy Commander shouted in surprise but did not dare enter since the Lady was present in the bedroom.
“Ugh… ugh…”
The screams quickly faded.
It meant Ji-hyeon’s life was racing toward the brink.
“Master—!”
The wife cried out in panic.
“Ahhh… Master! Wake up… Ahh! Blood! Who’s there?!”
Someone had anticipated them.
Kang Yong-woon’s head throbbed.
‘Baek-ryeong found out first.’
It felt like a hard blow to the back of his head.
‘It’s not too late.’
He couldn’t just watch.
His body naturally moved forward…
“Stop!”
Chaaang.
The Deputy Commander drew his sword, aiming at Kang Yong-woon, showing full hostility.
“Deputy Commander, I came to heal Lord Ji-hyeon—”
“Shut up! The moment you spoke of Lord Ji-hyeon’s life, he was struck by misfortune.”
It didn’t end there.
“What are you doing? Surround them immediately!”
“Chung—!”
“Don’t move—!”
The guards surrounded Wang Jeong-ha, An Gang-hyeon’s Po-du, and Kang Yong-woon.
“My lord!”
Unable to hold back any longer, the Deputy Commander rushed into Ji-hyeon’s bedroom.
“Ahhh! Master! Please regain consciousness!”
“What’s happening, my lord? Speak, please!”
Ji-hyeon’s wife wailed, while the Deputy Commander futilely tried to hold the dying Ji-hyeon.
But—
“Arghhhh!”
“Ahhh!”
Screams erupted from the annex.
The Loneliness had also affected Sunyang-hyeon Ji-hyeon’s son and daughter.
‘Both have convulsed as well.’
It was maddening.
Should he use force to subdue and then treat them?
Kang Yong-woon’s dilemma was futile.
“Ughhh!”
A groan like a candle being extinguished escaped from Ji-hyeon’s bedroom.
That was it.
Ji-hyeon’s screams could no longer be heard.
It was too late.
The poison had penetrated his heart in just a moment, and he died instantly.
“Ahhhh! Master—!”
“Doctor! Call a doctor immediately!”
His wife cried desperately, while the Deputy Commander shouted for a doctor at the top of his lungs.
Kang Yong-woon’s urgency grew.
‘I must at least save the children!’
In desperation, he shouted, mixing in his inner power.
“Let me through! Lord Ji-hyeon’s children are fighting for their lives. I can stop it! I can stop it!”
“Impossible, villain.”
The Sunyang-hyeon guards screamed that it was impossible.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“Come, or kneel immediately!”
It was unbearable.
“The secret letter from An Gang-hyeon’s Ji-hyeon proves the situation and introduces me! Those who block me are acting like villains!”
“Move, you fools!”
“Don’t you understand the situation?!”
“We came to save your Ji-hyeon and children!”
The inspectors Wang Jeong-ha and the Po-du stepped forward.
“What? What did you say?”
“You came to save us?”
“The secret letter from An Gang-hyeon’s Ji-hyeon is proof?!”
While the guards hesitated, a brave one stepped forward.
“This way—!”
He ran ahead.
“Move—!”
Paang!
Kang Yong-woon unleashed the Biryushin technique.
He snagged the brave guard’s side and advanced toward the northern annex of the official residence.
Crunch.
Eunyeong ground his teeth, staring at the Hyuncheong.
“Wait! I will repay this debt!”
The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
To lose a carefully built two-year foundation so absurdly?!
“The old saying goes, ‘A tower of effort does not collapse’… and yet it has.”
It collapsed without even a proper fight.
What was even more frustrating was that now only one Loneliness remained.
‘If Geumryeong returns, how am I supposed to report this?’
He felt utterly helpless.
‘Ha—! What can be done? I have to report the truth.’
He had done his best in the situation.
He just hadn’t known that some unknown brat had brought a poison or device to control the Loneliness.
‘Even Geumryeong probably didn’t know.’
That would be taken into account.
“Done with the cleanup?”
“Yes, Eunyeong. We just extracted and destroyed the artifact of sleeping Loneliness planted in Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon.”
“Also, the artifact lodged in the daughter of the attendant has been removed, Eunyeong.”
“The one lodged in Ji-hyeon’s son’s body…”
The three Hoeryeong reported bitterly.
At their feet lay a tiny crushed bug, dead.
It was over.
No matter what the brat did, Ji-hyeon of Sunyang-hyeon and his children were dead.
“Damn it!”
Eunyeong looked back at Sunyang-hyeon one last time.
With a voice full of regret, he lamented.
“If only our noble one had just finished secluding himself for training…”
Then they wouldn’t have withdrawn so vainly.
No, he would have captured all the guards and suppressed them spiritually.
“Let’s go, to Pyeongri-hyeon.”
He unleashed his divine technique.
Since they had already been discovered, they planned to erase all traces of themselves and disappear.
