Chapter 15
Akan-hyeon, Muju, Jiangxi Province — the land of the Baek Family Manor.
Like many other regions of Jiangxi Province, Muju thrived on the fertile plains and the network of rivers and canals that cut through the land, driving its agricultural output and trade. But Akan-hyeon was different.
For one, it was home to Ryu Hangho, a place renowned across the province for its breathtaking beauty.
Thanks to the influx of tourists, idle nobles, and curious thrill-seekers visiting Ryu Hangho throughout the year, Akan-hyeon was bustling with inns, taverns, and pleasure houses.
In other words, there was no shortage of things ripe for the picking.
“The world of the murim is all the same, but Akan-hyeon has more than its share of martial sects—especially the darker ones. There are dozens with official plaques, and even when you exclude the rabble, four major factions remain.”
“Honggyo Sect. Cheongsa Sect. Suhoji Assembly. Gyojin Sect.”
The old man—Yeo Un-jeok—rattled off the names as if they were already obvious.
Of course he came prepared. This conversation might move faster than expected.
“Those four dominate Akan-hyeon, and among them, the leader of the Honggyo Sect has his eyes set on ruling the entire region.”
That intent was the part Yang-hwi considered most crucial—but Yeo Un-jeok focused elsewhere.
“You lump Suhoji Assembly in with the riffraff? Aren’t they part of the orthodox sects?”
True, Suhoji Assembly was a coalition of martial families and security agencies—organizations forced to uphold a façade of righteousness due to the nature of their business.
‘Just a bunch of hypocrites playing at being paragons,’ Yang-hwi scoffed inwardly as he shrugged.
“Does it really matter? The truth is, Akan-hyeon’s murim is in constant flux, with dark sects scheming to claim what once rightfully belonged to the Baek Clan.”
Though Akan-hyeon had grown around Ryu Hangho, it was the founding patriarch of the Baek family who had first laid down roots here.
The location of Baek House in the heart of Akan-hyeon served as irrefutable proof.
“So, what exactly are you getting at, young master?”
Yang-hwi lowered the wooden sword he had been pointing at Yeo Un-jeok’s throat and dropped to the ground with a thud.
“I’m getting old. My legs ache. This might take a while, so I’d rather sit while we talk.”
“……”
Was that really something to say to a senior?
“I just figured it’d be better if we both got comfortable. No point staying on edge if we’re not planning to fight.”
Yeo Un-jeok silently took a seat on the roof’s ridgeline.
While he did, Yang-hwi ran through his reasoning once more in his mind.
‘From the moment Sister Rang was poisoned, this old man and the Honggyo Sect leader became irreconcilable enemies.’
Yeo Un-jeok would never side with the Honggyo Sect.
Which meant Yang-hwi needed to draw him in as an ally of the Baek family—and in doing so, crush the power of the dark sects in Akan-hyeon.
‘And at the same time… help sister Rang and Gu-Hyung live happily ever after.’
“So, young master. Speak your piece. What is it you want us to do together?”
“It’s simple. We take down the leader of the Honggyo Sect—the man who stands in the way of Sister Rang’s happiness.”
Yeo Un-jeok’s eyes darkened, thoughtful.
“Whatever the method, chaos will follow. And the Baek family will have a chance to benefit from it. Don’t tell me you planned this whole thing?”
Yang-hwi clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘This is why you can’t let your guard down with seasoned warriors.’
Still, he hadn’t planned to hide it anyway.
“That’s right. But I’m not doing this just for personal gain. You may not know this, but Sister Rang’s lover is like an older brother to me.”
“……Before anything else, let me ask. How did you learn this old man’s true identity?”
‘Because in my past life, your name spread like wildfire when you launched that bloodbath.’
Not something he could say outright.
“You know I was once a beggar before I was adopted, right?”
“I do.”
“One of the things beggars do to kill time is memorize the faces and personal details of people with bounties on their heads.”
That part, at least, was true. Especially since the Beggar Sect made a point of circulating such intel regularly.
It made for a convincing enough excuse.
“Though I’m using a disguise now…”
Oh? So this wasn’t his real face? That part he hadn’t known.
“You went by the alias Yeo Woon-hyu, didn’t you? ‘Un or Woon’ as in cloud, and ‘hy’ as in red. People tend to tweak their real names when coming up with fake ones—it’s just human nature.”
Yang-hwi added a little extra explanation to boost credibility.
“And Sister Rang’s jade token—it’s far too refined and intricate, imbued with a special function no ordinary craftsman could replicate. That alone brought the name Crimson Cloud to mind, so I took a shot.”
“……And I suppose you confirmed it by watching my reaction.”
“Exactly.”
Yeo Un-jeok let out a hollow laugh.
“To think I spent my life treading so carefully, only to be blindsided by a child.”
“It’s not your fault. There’s a reason people say to watch out for women, the elderly, and children—because those three can make others let their guard down.”
“Fair enough… If anything, I’d say the young master is simply far more formidable than his age suggests. Still, you’re not flawless. Do you know who A-Rang’s father is? Is that why you called me here?”
As expected, age brought sharpness. The old man missed not even the tiniest gap—truly, nothing got past him.
“Truthfully, your arrival was an unexpected variable in my plan, Elder. My original scheme was entirely different. But that’s beside the point. So, how about it? Would you like to hear the grand plan of a precocious young talent who’s far too clever for his age?”
Yeo Un-jeok silently stared at the smug smile spreading across Yang-hwi’s face.
Then, he let out a long sigh.
“From your stubbornness alone, I can tell this old man won’t get what he wants unless I hear you out. Speak.”
“Let’s start by making one thing clear: the ultimate goal of my plan is Sister Rang’s happiness. I give you my word on this as a proud descendant of an honorable, righteous clan. You can trust me.”
“That part, I’ll judge for myself.”
“Of course. To get straight to the point—my strategy is to turn the dark sects against one another using a classic divide-and-conquer tactic.”
“You’ve chopped off the head and tail of the story. I need the meat. How exactly do you plan to do that?”
Yang-hwi began pulling from the thirty years’ worth of future memories embedded in his mind.
‘Yeo Un-jeok. In your past life… you triggered a bloodbath in Honggyo Sect and became a murim public enemy because of it.’
Originally, Yeo Un-jeok wasn’t even a martial artist. His profession had been restoring ancient texts and artifacts—centuries-old relics brought back to life by his skilled hands.
But the line between restoration and forgery is thin, and he was capable of making a freshly printed scroll look like a forgotten treasure from five hundred years ago.
That very talent had invited tragedy into his life.
Roughly twenty years ago, he was swept up in a massacre known as the Sword King Tomb Bloodbath.
‘You were paid an enormous sum to forge dozens of fake scrolls for what you thought was a rich kid’s amusement… not knowing it was all orchestrated by the Bloodshade Alliance.’
Bloodshade Alliance, the most infamous dark sect and de facto ruler of an entire province called Kuju, had been locked in an intense cold war with various orthodox factions in Honam, including the Hwangbo family.
That’s when they devised a plan—using those forged scrolls as bait to lure righteous warriors into a trap, where they were slaughtered en masse.
The operation was so devastatingly successful, it became known as the Sword King Tomb Bloodbath.
‘Thanks to that, the Hwangbo Clan—one of the Five Great Houses—collapsed, and the remaining orthodox sects in Honam have been in shambles ever since. And you, Yeo Un-jeok, were marked as a murim traitor.’
In many ways, the old man was a tragic figure. He had simply accepted a commission, unaware of its consequences—and yet he’d drawn the wrath of the entire orthodox world and was branded a criminal.
He lost his wife because of it. Even worse, he was separated from his young daughter, likely never to see her again.
‘In my past life, you died in the very bloodbath you ignited. But in this life… I’ll make sure you get to live peacefully with your daughter. In return, lend your strength to the Baek family.’
“I plan to release secret manuals.”
“Secret manuals…?”
Yeo Un-jeok’s expression hardened immediately.
“You must’ve guessed the reason I became a public enemy of the martial world… but I don’t know any martial arts worth using as bait.”
“That’s fine. The manuals I want you to craft and circulate won’t be martial arts techniques… they’ll be counters. Ways to break them.”
In his previous life, Yang-hwi had pushed himself to study countless martial arts to improve his family’s techniques.
Naturally, that included the dark sect techniques housed in Akan-hyeon.
‘I’ve fought them all, dissected every trick they had. Creating counter techniques is child’s play for me now.’
A sly grin spread across Yang-hwi’s face.
* * *
Seven days and seven nights later.
The Baek Family Manor was met with an unexpected visitor in broad daylight.
“Gu-Hyung. The Baek family is a proper, orthodox clan, you know. Aren’t you visiting a little too often?”
“Junior Brother! Instead of praising my patience for waiting not just three days but a full ten, that’s what you say to me?!”
Watching Gu-Ak fume with his face flushed red, Yang-hwi couldn’t help but think: With that temper, maybe “Bloodface” suits him more than “Bloodfist.”
“In any case, you’re just in time. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Yang-hwi led Gu-Ak toward Rang-rang’s quarters.
“My Dear!”
“Rang-rang!”
The lovers, reunited after ten days apart, embraced with unrestrained joy. Once the moment passed, Gu-Ak took Rang-rang’s hand and turned to Yang-hwi.
“So? How’s your plan coming along? You promised a top-tier expert—when are they arriving?”
“Hmm? I never said I’d bring a top-tier expert.”
“What?”
Before Gu-Ak could explode—completely forgetting Rang-rang was present—Yang-hwi quickly clarified.
“I said I’d bring someone who could kill a top-tier expert.”
“That’s the same thing!”
“Is it, though? There are plenty of ways to kill someone that don’t involve martial arts. Poison, money, strategy—take your pick. Ah, that reminds me. Mind if we talk privately for a moment?”
Once they were outside and out of Rang-rang’s earshot, Yang-hwi turned serious.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“From the way you’re asking, I’ll take that as a no. Sister Rang is currently being poisoned.”
In an instant, Gu-Ak’s face twisted into a terrifying snarl.
“W-wait. Before you lose it, hear me out. You know my mother, the matron of the Baek family, isn’t in the best health, right? We regularly have physicians visit.”
“You’d better talk fast. My patience is wearing thin.”
What a temper… Yang-hwi continued calmly.
“I noticed Sister Rang looked unusually pale, so I had our physician take her pulse. He said she’s been poisoned. It’s a mild toxin, but if ingested repeatedly, it becomes fatal over time. You’re welcome to bring your own physician to verify.”
“...She’s really being poisoned?”
“It’s a slow poison. Not enough to notice in a single cup of tea. I wouldn’t have caught it either if I didn’t have an unusually sharp sense for these things.”
“And the one behind it... I’m guessing we don’t need to investigate very far.”
“……”
Gu-Ak fell silent.
There was only one person who could’ve done this to Rang-rang.
His father—the leader of Honggyo Sect.
“My father... Why would he…”
“Because she’s in the way. Either he wanted to get rid of her to push another marriage on you, or—more likely—he wanted to use her as a hostage to control you.”
Gu-Ak was the only one among the Honggyo Sect leader’s children to reach first-rate status.
And he had done it before even turning thirty—a prodigy with a real shot at reaching the peak.
And as history has shown, the greatest threat to a king… is often his own heir.
“Ha… Hahaha…”
Gu-Ak let out a hollow laugh. The look of disbelief on his face gradually gave way to something else—something far hotter.
Rage.
‘Good. That should be enough to pull Gu-Ak to my side.’
“Gu-Hyung. Now is not the time to earn the Honggyo Sect leader’s approval.”
“You’re right… It’s not.”
“Do you want to protect Sister Rang?”
Gu-Ak turned to look back at Rang-rang’s quarters.
His eyes filled with a painful longing.
“Rang-rang… She was the only thing that kept me going through the hellish days where I couldn’t even breathe. For her… I’d do anything.”
Yang-hwi realized then—he had assumed Gu-Ak had simply fallen for her during casual visits to the pleasure house. But it went much deeper.
‘Maybe the reason Gu-Ak, despite being from a dark sect, still has some humanity… is because of Rang-rang.’
“Then there’s only one path forward, Gu-Hyung.”
---The End Of The Chapter---
Love the story💖? Read 20 chapters early, skip the ads, and help keep the translation going!
Comments