Chapter – 51
Yeon-gyeom staggered out of the Bamboo Forest and leaned against a wall.
He had already done this dozens of times on his way back.
Though he felt like he might lose consciousness at any moment, the fact that he had proven himself filled him with strength.
“Master Soju…!”
As soon as he entered the manor, the head of Cheonrangdae, the exclusive guard of Cheonma, ran to him.
Yeon-gyeom shook off the grandmaster’s support.
“Where’s the Grandmaster?”
“H-He just returned to the main hall. But more importantly… are you alright…?”
Yeon-gyeom went straight toward the main hall.
When he arrived at his grandfather’s residence, he opened the door without announcing himself.
The leader of the Shin Sect and Yeon-gyeom’s grandfather, Cheon-gyeong, was raising a cup of wine.
Across the table, another cup sat untouched, but the intended guest was absent. It wasn’t important.
Yeon-gyeom staggered forward to stand before Cheon-gyeong.
“I won.”
Cheon-gyeong drank silently.
“I said I won. That child from Jangbaek-dong!”
A second cup went down without a word.
“You were wrong, Grandfather…!”
“What answer do you seek?”
“I want the truth, as it is.”
A third cup was poured.
“You say you defeated the child from Jangbaek-dong.”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
“…!”
Yeon-gyeom’s face contorted even further.
“Impossible? I personally defeated him!”
The third cup emptied.
“The child, even three months ago, was more than a step ahead of you. His martial arts variety and level are absolutely superior. At the pinnacle, this kind of gap cannot be overcome by chance.”
“But I definitely…!”
“He must have had his reasons.”
The clarity of the conclusion made Yeon-gyeom bite his lower lip.
“How can I prove it to you?”
“It’s not about trust. It’s about possibility.”
Though he had defeated Kang-yu, Yeon-gyeom endured and continued to speak.
“If that’s the case, I will show you. He’s participating in the branch competition, so I can demonstrate it personally—”
“That’s enough. Return to the sect tonight.”
“Eh?”
Yeon-gyeom clutched the table in desperation.
“I told you I would show you I can defeat him!”
“The branch competition won’t change anything. It will only damage the reputation of the Shin Sect.”
Cheon-gyeong finished his final cup.
“The entertainment ends here. Return to the sect.”
Yeon-gyeom’s fists trembled.
“Is the gap between me and him really that large? Are you willing to make a judgment without even seeing?”
He waited, but there was only silence in return.
His grandfather’s second form of cruelty.
Biting his lips until they bled, Yeon-gyeom left without a word.
He went straight to the main hall to find the head of Cheongeomdae. If they didn’t believe him, he would prove it with his own eyes.
“I need to go outside for a bit.”
The vice sect leader looked pale. The grandmaster spoke with concern.
“If you tell me the destination, I can have subordinates accompany you—”
“Quickly!”
Yeon-gyeom was carried by the grandmaster and reappeared in the Bamboo Forest.
The battlefield bore marks of fierce combat.
In the center, a pit several feet deep had formed.
“Go there.”
They settled in the pit, revealing the bare rock.
But the opponent had either recovered and fled, or disappeared; only trails of red blood were scattered everywhere.
The grandmaster narrowed his brows as he inspected the area.
His hand swept over the bloodied rocks. Bringing his fingers to his nose, he rubbed several times.
After a pause, he looked at Yeon-gyeom.
“It’s pig’s blood.”
“…!”
The words of his grandfather, “You defeated the child from Jangbaek-dong,” and “That’s impossible,” pierced through him.
Crunch.
The sound of teeth breaking echoed in the pit. Blood flowed from Yeon-gyeom’s whitened fists.
After Yeon-gyeom left the room, someone stepped out from behind a folding screen.
“Cold-blooded, aren’t you.”
It was Yong So-baek, who had caused the commotion at Kang-yu’s request.
Having defeated an entire Cheongeomdae unit and escaped underground, he happened to meet Cheon-gyeong returning to the manor. Yong So-baek sat across the empty cup.
“You could’ve just said a kind word. Someone might think he’s not your child.”
Cheon-gyeong raised a bottle of wine.
“What a disciple needs most is precise and strict judgment. This incident will surely teach him something.”
Yong So-baek drank from the cup.
“For some, having dozens of those ‘precise and strict judgments’ is the problem.”
“…….”
He set the cup down loudly.
“Hah. Tastes good, but drinking from a cup feels awkward.”
He ran his hand over the smooth cup.
“To think that two young ones, not even at the age of thirty yet, have already crossed the wall of ultimate mastery. Truly astonishing.”
Cheon-gyeong’s voice was low.
“A new era is coming.”
Yong So-baek studied him for a moment, then set the cup down.
“You know something strange?”
He grabbed the bottle.
“Miraculously, the begging bowl is always filled just enough to barely satisfy hunger. Whether it’s a feast or not, it’s always the same. I’ve never eaten my fill before tying the fifth knot.”
He continued.
“Just as the bowl gives only what you can consume, Heaven only grants trials that humans can endure. It’s certain. That’s when one begins to notice the unnecessary.”
“What do you mean?”
Yong So-baek held the bottle.
“In martial arts history, the fastest anyone has broken the ultimate barrier was at forty. But now, two children barely of legal age have changed that record in a single generation. Who knows? There may be others like them hidden somewhere in the Central Plains.”
Cheon-gyeong’s voice was soft.
“That’s not a good omen.”
Yong So-baek gulped down the wine.
“I have a bad feeling. Is this new era pushing out such urgent talents to prepare for some great upheaval?”
Wiping his mouth, he continued.
“Did Jangbaek-dong say anything?”
Cheon-gyeong shook his head. Yong So-baek studied him carefully, knowing he wouldn’t lie.
Gulp… gulp… gulp…
After finishing the bottle in one go, Yong So-baek stood.
“I trust you will return as is.”
“I merely came to check things out while in the Central Plains.”
Yong So-baek left Cheon-gyeong’s room.
“This is the last time. Next time, we’ll exchange swords instead of cups.”
The night settled over the manor. Cheon-gyeong’s cup was quietly refilled.
Kang-yu had spent the five days of rest searching for the Beast of Evil.
But there was no success. Among the thirty entrants in the mid-tier, no one was a super-expert like Yeon-gyeom; all were average martial artists.
Since the Beast of Evil was capable of nearly treasonous schemes, they had to be strong. That was everyone’s conclusion.
Yet no one strong could be found.
Then one thought occurred.
“Could it be that the two of you are mistaken?”
Kang-yu looked at Yong So-baek, who had been accompanying her for three days, tailing the mid-tier participants.
But Yong So-baek didn’t answer and just stared.
“What? Not mistaken?”
Yong So-baek flinched.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“I mean… don’t you see? None of them are strong.”
Yong So-baek nodded.
“Of course. If you say so, it could be. You’re right.”
“…?”
Kang-yu stared at him, confused. He had changed since a few days ago. Someone who used to argue over everything had suddenly become as gentle as a newlywed.
Everything she said was met with: “Fine, you’re right. Absolutely right.”
Kang-yu suddenly realized that even what she had just said, he agreed with the opposite.
“No, I think they’ve hidden so well that we can’t find them.”
Yong So-baek nodded.
“Of course. If you say so, that must be it. You’re correct.”
Kang-yu grabbed his hand.
“Are you really alright?”
He quietly looked at her hand. Four days ago, when he had sneaked into the manor, he hadn’t thought much.
It was surprising that she was from Jangbaek-dong, but that was it.
As days passed, the reality of the Jangbaek-dong lineage became apparent.
As the leader of the Yongdu faction, he knew that Jangbaek-dong could rival the entire Central Plains.
If they devised a sudden strategy, the Central Plains might even have to fear defeat.
Ordinary people might feel awe or fear upon learning the child’s background, but not Yong So-baek.
He initially considered letting it go if Kang-yu was affiliated with Jangbaek-dong. But once his suspicion was confirmed, his mind changed.
With little time left in his life, if he could make the child a successor to his faction, Jangbaek-dong—a force rivaling the entire Central Plains—would become the child’s background.
Not the Nine Style Sect, but the Ilban Gu Sect.
His lifelong ambition would be fulfilled. With the child’s growth, the next generation of the greatest in the world was already set.
The previously slighted Ilban would stand at the center of martial arts.
After Kang-yu had rejected his proposal, he subtly persuaded her. But subtlety was no longer enough. Urgency demanded firm determination.
“How tempting.”
Kang-yu’s spine turned cold.
“What… what is?”
“You.”
“…….”
“……”
A brief silence.
Yong So-baek pulled out eight knots she had received through Wi-Yeon. He forced them into her hands.
“Take this…”
Kang-yu immediately destroyed them using her advanced Samma evolution.
“I said I don’t deal in begging!”
Yong So-baek remained firm.
“Don’t worry. They can be retied.”
“….”
He pulled out a rope from his bosom. The knots were quickly remade.
“You know, technically our faction preaches non-possession, but if we wished, we could have anything. Palaces, beauties, fame and ten thousand followers—all could be yours with a single thought. Wealth and honor. All yours if you wish.”
He lifted his head.
“So, think carefully once more…”
In the time it took to tie a few knots, Kang-yu vanished as if using the Dark King’s technique.
“Eh!”
Yong So-baek spat the rope aside in frustration.
Kang-yu hurriedly glanced behind as she moved. She appreciated the help, but it was strange being told to become a beggar in front of normal people.
Eventually, she neared the pleasure district as planned.
Through Yeodong-wan, she summoned Hyehwa.
When Hyehwa appeared, Kang-yu whispered to her.
“Hyehwa-nim, the thing you gave me before?”
“Which thing?”
“The one you said might be useful for reverse-use techniques. Pig’s blood and such.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Could you prepare more? It was really useful this time.”
“Where did you use it?”
Kang-yu’s eyes twinkled.
“Ah… well…”
Hyehwa smiled knowingly.
“You must have had a use for it.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Alright. I’ll have it ready by tomorrow.”
“Anything else you need?”
“That’s enough.”
“Then see you tomorrow?”
“Yes!”
Kang-yu returned to the inn with Yeodong-wan. Familiar faces awaited.
“Brother!”
“Huh?”
At the entrance of Sichuan, she had parted with Tae Cheong-hwan.
He had arrived in Chang’an during her initial skirmish. He waved enthusiastically.
“Have you been well?”
Kang-yu smiled brightly.
“Has it been that long since we parted?”
She ran to him, and he looked at her with a warmth usually reserved for elders.
Other team members were absent.
“What about the leader and Senior Hwa Mo-seong?”
He smiled.
“As you heard, both are from Shaanxi. They went to pay respects there first.”
“Oh, then only you came?”
Tae Cheong-hwan scratched his nose.
“I have a place to go briefly too…”
“Then shouldn’t you go there first?”
“Hmm.”
The situation was complicated. People from the sect were in Chang’an to observe mid-tier participants.
They should have gone to encourage them, but circumstances were tricky.
When Tae Cheong-hwan was young, a severe plague struck Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This caused an unusual age gap between disciples of similar rank. Only a two-year difference existed.
Although formally master and disciple, many things were awkward and remained so.
Tae Cheong-hwan also had personal matters.
“Well, that can wait.”
He paused, noticing an unusual man behind Kang-yu.
He asked deliberately, loud enough to be heard.
“And who is this?”
“Oh, my! Look at me.”
Kang-yu slapped her forehead and introduced both.
“Here is Yeodong-wan, a friend I met in Chang’an.”
“Friend?”
“Yes.”
Yeodong-wan was moved. She seemed about to cry.
Now it was Tae Cheong-hwan’s turn.
“This is Senior Tae Cheong-hwan. We work together.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard about you several times.”
Yeodong-wan cautiously asked.
“I’ve been curious, but what do you do…?”
“Oh, we—”
“Wait!”
Tae Cheong-hwan suddenly remembered when Kang-yu revealed her identity at the Tang family. Surprised, he tried to stop her.
But her words continued unexpectedly.
“We are messengers.”
“Messengers?”
“Yes, from the same messenger organization.”
“…huh?”
Kang-yu blinked at Tae Cheong-hwan.
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
“…….”
For a moment, Tae Cheong-hwan tensed, then exhaled in relief.
As expected, the strategic concealment of her identity at the Tang family was wise. She was indeed a brilliant strategist, adept in both literary and martial arts.
