Seeing Chief Manager Yuk arrive on horseback with a stranger, two warriors approached warily.
“Is something the matter, Chief Manager?”
Dismounting from his horse, Chief Manager Yuk motioned to the warriors guarding the main gate.
“It is nothing. This is the Hall Master of the Heavenly Mandate Hall. He helped me and brought me all the way here.”
“What? The Heavenly Mandate Hall?”
“Yes, the Heavenly Mandate Hall.”
“Step back, sir!”
Startled, one of the warriors grabbed Chief Manager Yuk’s arm and pulled him behind them.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
Chief Manager Yuk shouted, but the warriors only had eyes for Gangchan.
“Do not worry now, sir.”
Suddenly, more than ten warriors appeared from behind the original two, surrounding Gangchan.
“I do not know what you are after, but this is the Golden Exchange of the Golden Clan.”
‘Their training is excellent!’
From hearing the commotion to surrounding him, there were almost no unnecessary movements. This was a level of coordination only possible for warriors who underwent systematic training.
Gangchan silently raised both hands toward the warriors surrounding him, signaling his surrender. At the same time, he activated Jieugiseong to sense his opponents’ energy.
The auras were small but not wicked.
Just as he was about to withdraw his energy after checking his surroundings, he felt a peculiar sensation from inside the manor. Gangchan expanded his energy further instead of retracting it.
‘What is this?’
It was an immense Yin energy, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
When Gangchan raised his arms and surrendered, the warriors were actually the ones who became flustered. In that moment, Chief Manager Yuk hurriedly stepped in front of Gangchan.
“Hey! You fools! He is my benefactor! Why are you being so thick-headed today?”
As Chief Manager Yuk ranted and raved, the warriors could not hide their embarrassment. One by one, they lowered their weapons and quickly left the area.
—
The two men sat facing each other over a table of drinks.
After the commotion at the front gate, Gangchan had intended to leave, but Chief Manager Yuk had practically dragged him here to sit down.
“I am truly so sorry that I do not know what to do with myself. Please, let me apologize on their behalf.”
“The warriors were simply doing their duty. You should actually praise them.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“In that spirit, please have a drink.”
“I accept it gratefully.”
After a few rounds of drinks, the alcohol began to affect Chief Manager Yuk, who had already been drinking earlier. As the intoxication set in, he gained a surge of courage and stared intently at Gangchan.
He knew it was impossible, but no matter how much he looked, the man did not look like a warrior. Furthermore, the Hall Master of the Heavenly Mandate Hall? He looked like an ordinary young man—perhaps a bit stubborn, but a handsome youth with strong features.
However, at the end of all those thoughts, he remembered the terrifying existence that ruled the Night of Hangzhou. He let out a hollow laugh to himself.
‘Has my eye for people faded as I’ve grown old? Haha.’
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ha, my apologies. It is just that looking at you like this, I found myself wondering who would ever think you were the Master of the Heavenly Mandate Hall.”
“Do I not look the part?”
“Not at all. Hahaha.”
Gangchan laughed along with him.
The sound of Chief Manager Yuk’s laughter drifted outside his quarters. No one could remember the last time he had laughed like that. It was only natural that the servants nearby acted as if something world-shaking had happened.
“No matter how much I think about it, it is just so fascinating. What on earth did you do to me?”
“Are you that curious?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I wasn’t? I truly thought I was going to die. But after meeting you, Hall Master, I am sitting here perfectly fine and drinking. How could I not find it miraculous?”
“I suppose that is true. To put it simply, it is like this. Though I can only guess the reason, a large amount of energy suddenly gathered in your chest all at once, and that energy clumped together instead of flowing. Since that massive energy was pressing down on your chest, it became difficult to breathe, and you eventually began to suffocate. So, I forcibly extracted that energy and sent in a soft energy to make your Qi flow smoothly again.”
“Does that mean you absorbed the Qi that was clumped in my chest? Is that the same as the Energy Absorption spoken of in the Kangho?”
“Strictly speaking, it is similar. However, since I release all the energy I absorb to the outside, it is like Energy Absorption but different from Building Qi.”
“You have mastered a fascinating martial art.”
“I suppose so. On that note, is there someone sick in this house?”
At Gangchan’s question, Chief Manager Yuk’s intoxication vanished instantly.
“Wait, how did you…?”
“I felt an unusual energy earlier at the main gate.”
Chief Manager Yuk stared at Gangchan without answering. He could not figure out how to interpret this situation.
Sensing that such a reaction was natural, Gangchan spoke softly.
“I was just asking, so do not trouble yourself over it.”
He then drained his glass in one gulp and stood up.
“I have been treated well, so I think I shall take my leave now. I enjoyed the drink.”
“Wait, that… stay for one more….”
Leaving the stunned Chief Manager Yuk behind, Gangchan departed from the Golden Exchange.
Chief Manager Yuk watched Gangchan leave with a dazed expression before returning to his office, lost in deep thought.
His body, which had felt like it was dying, had been cured so easily. The explanation Gangchan gave was clear and logical beyond doubt.
Once his thoughts reached that point, even though it was late, he headed straight for the infirmary. He had to confirm the possibility that had occurred to him.
In truth, the Golden Clan maintained a separate infirmary specifically to refine elixirs for Hwang Ha-rin’s treatment. Naturally, a skilled physician was always in residence there.
After waking the sleeping physician, Chief Manager Yuk relayed what he had heard from Gangchan. However, the physician’s conclusion was firm.
“Theoretically, it might be possible, but in reality, such a thing is impossible.”
Under the physician’s sleepy glare, Chief Manager Yuk turned back toward his quarters.
Yuk Yang-jin had not trained in martial arts. However, he was no stranger to them either. How many warriors had he interacted with while living as a merchant? He had seen countless individuals who practiced martial arts. That was why Gangchan’s words were even more confusing.
Generally, if an external energy that is not one’s own enters the body, the physical balance is broken. If the incoming energy is too strong, the body cannot endure it and the person dies. If it is weak, they might not die, but it takes a long time to expel the energy or fully embrace it. Furthermore, if the incoming energy is the polar opposite of one’s own, problems arise immediately, and even if the attributes are similar, it takes a long time for them to fuse into one.
It was the same logic as why drinking an elixir does not immediately create internal power.
An extreme example was poison. Poison was also a type of energy.
Therefore, to one who practiced poison arts, poison was the same energy and acted like medicine. However, when poison entered an ordinary person’s body, problems occurred. If it was close to a lethal dose, they died instantly; if it was a small amount, they wouldn’t die, but their body would be damaged until the poison was completely expelled.
That was why one would perform breathing exercises to drive out poison, and if that didn’t work, one would supplement the deficiency with medicine.
But to accept an energy without knowing what it was—and not even having the other person give it, but taking it by one’s own will—meant that one could absorb every type of energy in the world.
Was such a thing truly possible?
That was exactly what Chief Manager Yuk was agonizing over.
If the martial art Gangchan practiced could truly accept all the energies in the world?
If such a thing were really possible?
Could he perhaps even extract the cursed Yin energy pooling inside Ha-rin’s body?
The thought was simple enough, but if it were possible, the martial art Gangchan practiced would have to be something made by a god, not a human.
So, while he told himself it made no sense, he could not let go of that lingering hope whenever he looked at his own healed body.
His worries deepened.
The next day, shortly after one o’clock in the afternoon, he finally reached a conclusion after his long deliberation. He hurried to call a servant.
“Where is the Master of the House currently?”
“He was at Lady Ha-rin’s quarters, but I believe he just went to his office.”
“Understood.”
He immediately left his quarters and headed for the Master’s office. When he arrived, the warrior guarding the door saw him and bowed.
“Announce me.”
“Master, the Chief Manager has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
A powerless voice drifted out.
The inside of the office was dark despite it being midday. At the far end of that darkness, the Master held his head in his hands, looking down.
The atmosphere was so heavy it was difficult to even speak, but Chief Manager Yuk opened his mouth cautiously.
“Brother, please find strength.”
Tears were welling in the Master’s eyes.
“You’ve come? It is very difficult.”
They had faced many trials together, but this was the first time he had directly admitted that things were hard. Until Ha-rin’s illness worsened, his eyes were always full of confidence. Now, the sight of the Master, who had the eyes of a weak, old father, pained Chief Manager Yuk’s heart.
“Has Ha-rin’s condition worsened?”
“She tries so hard to endure even the pain that it’s pitiful to watch. It’s hard just to look at her.”
“You must find strength so that Ha-rin can hold on as well, Brother.”
“I know. That is why I am holding on with everything I have.”
“Please, find a little more strength. If the heavens truly intended to take Ha-rin, they would have done so already.”
“Perhaps they intend to torment that child for a long time.”
Chief Manager Yuk knew he didn’t mean those words. It was simply that reality was that agonizing.
“Do not say such things. Do not lose heart, Brother.”
“I suppose so. I must find strength. But… if it isn’t because of Ha-rin, what brings you here? Did that Majeong-bang bring another elixir or something?”
“It isn’t that. I have something to tell you regarding Ha-rin.”
Chief Manager Yuk detailed the events that had happened to him the previous day and spoke about Gangchan.
“Is there truly a martial art that makes such things possible?”
“I experienced it firsthand, so I must believe it exists. And shouldn’t we believe him if he sensed the energy inside the house without even seeing it? Though he is the Hall Master of the Heavenly Mandate Hall, from what I saw, he was so polite that he didn’t seem like a person of the underworld at all. He didn’t seem like a man who speaks empty words.”
“The Heavenly Mandate Hall… are you talking about the group that unified the underworld of Hangzhou?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“If you have judged him so, then that is enough. What more reason do I need? Let us do it immediately.”
“Then I shall send word at once… No, I will go and bring him here personally.”
“Yes. Depart quickly.”
Whatever the reason, the mere fact that he could do something for his daughter set Hwang Jin-san’s heart ablaze.
Chief Manager Yuk headed straight for the Heavenly Mandate Hall, leading five bodyguards. Once the decision was made, his heart felt even more rushed. Throughout the journey, he kept urging his horse faster, worried that Gangchan might not be there.
Though Chief Manager Yuk was a man who had traveled the Kangho extensively, the road to the Heavenly Mandate Hall felt longer than a thousand miles.
Soon, the main gate of the Heavenly Mandate Hall came into view. As he quickened his pace, two warriors guarding the gate watched him closely. When he reached the gate, the warriors greeted him first.
“This is the Heavenly Mandate Hall. What is your business here?”
“I am the Chief Manager of the Golden Clan, Yuk Yang-jin. I request an audience with your Hall Master.”
At the mention of the Golden Clan, the warriors’ faces hardened with tension. The Chief Manager of the Golden Clan, which possessed the greatest wealth under heaven, was not someone they could treat lightly.
“Do you have a scheduled appointment? I haven’t heard anything….”
“I did not make an appointment beforehand. So, please send word for me.”
“Then please wait a moment.”
One warrior bowed and went inside. A moment later, the sound of someone approaching was heard. Gangchan, who happened to be looking around the manor, had met the warrior and come straight out.
“Chief Manager, what brings you here?”
“Hall Master, did you return home safely that day?”
“Thanks to you.”
“I have a desperate favor to ask, so I have come to see you despite knowing it is rude.”
“A favor? Then, let us head inside first.”