Around Yushi , the three masters who ruled the night in Hangju entered the annex of Cheonhyangru.
Each of them reacted differently upon seeing Gangchan for the first time.
Heavenly Wolf Kang Bulhae and Dam Sajin were somewhat surprised, noting how young their counterpart was.
On the other hand, Gwak Jagoh’s expression grew distant and complicated the moment he laid eyes on Gangchan.
“Wait, you… huhuhu.”
To Gwak Jagoh’s reaction, Gangchan smiled lightly and greeted him with courtesy.
“It’s good to see you again. As for the other two, it’s our first meeting.”
His tone was polite, but never servile.
Sensing Gwak Jagoh’s subtle response, Dam Sajin asked sharply.
“Leader, do you know this young man?”
“Rather than know… I suppose we’ve just crossed paths before.”
“Then this should make our conversation easier?”
“Well, I’m not so sure. I’m not even sure how to begin…….
As the conversation continued, Kang Bulhae realized he had yet to formally introduce himself and took the initiative.
“My skills may be lacking, but I lead the Cheonrangpa. My name is Kang Bulhae.”
Gangchan nodded in response.
“Yes. Pleased to meet you. Please, have a seat.”
The group sat at the wide table in the annex, each idly fingering their prepared teacups as they observed one another in a moment of silence.
Gwak Jagoh studied Gangchan once more, scrutinizing him.
‘Could this young man really have killed Mak Bi?’
From the Gangchan before him, there was no sign of martial power—he didn’t even seem to radiate energy. He looked as ordinary as any other person.
Once convinced that Gangchan could not possibly be a master, the initial pressure Gwak Jagoh felt quickly dissipated. Instead, he regained his confidence, and his searching gaze turned more relaxed.
Gangchan, as if seeing right through Gwak Jagoh’s mind, calmly held his teacup and maintained a tranquil expression.
In the end, Gwak Jagoh no longer hesitated and asked bluntly.
“Are you really the one who killed Mak Bi?”
There was clear doubt in his voice. It was a question that betrayed his skepticism, unwilling to believe the rumors about Gangchan being a master.
Gangchan took a silent sip of tea before slowly putting the cup down.
Then, he answered coolly.
“Does it not seem so to you?”
That short reply, blunt and direct, was enough to shake Gwak Jagoh’s composure.
Momentarily flustered, Gwak Jagoh recalled his own experience and steeled his face.
He remembered his confrontation with Mak Bi a few days earlier.
Mak Bi, with overwhelming inner strength and momentum, had pushed Gwak Jagoh to his limits and left him utterly on the defensive.
‘This ordinary-looking youth killed that Mak Bi? How could that be possible?’
Gwak Jagoh stared at Gangchan, consumed by suspicion.
Mak Bi’s death had already become a major incident in Hangju, but the true cause of the two-inch hole through his chest remained a mystery.
Gwak Jagoh tried to recall any martial art or weapon that could leave such a wound, but no matter how he thought about it, he found no answer.
‘Just what did he use? Some advanced technique I don’t know? Or some kind of special weapon?’
Unable to hide his confusion, Gwak Jagoh could not hold back and asked again.
“Will you tell us how you disposed of Mak Bi?”
At Gwak Jagoh’s question, Gangchan again set down his teacup with an unruffled expression.
Smiling faintly, he gave a short answer.
“And yet, you saw but do not know?”
Gangchan’s reply was brief, yet carried a subtle provocation.
Gwak Jagoh felt pressured by his words.
He began to suspect more strongly that Gangchan had used some strange tool, not martial arts, to deal with Mak Bi.
‘If it’s a weapon, once I learn its secret, it’ll be easy to neutralize… but for now, I have no way to confirm that!’
The faces of Gwak Jagoh and Dam Sajin were a mixture of confusion and anger.
Gangchan’s calm and confident attitude only made them feel more uneasy.
Gwak Jagoh began to find the situation increasingly uncomfortable.
‘I should have made a clearer judgment when I first met this young man. If I’d drawn him to Heukcheonhoe with some incentives… none of this would be happening now.’
He silently chastised himself and wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly.
“Tell us what it is you want. We will show our sincerity as much as we can.”
Gangchan did not answer right away.
He deliberately took his time, slowly sipping his tea. Annoyed by the silence, Dam Sajin cut in sharply.
“When your elders ask, it’s only proper to answer right away. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Dam Sajin’s sarcastic voice echoed in the room.
Though his words targeted Gangchan, the tension in the room only thickened.
“If, by any chance, you wish to take the position that Baekryonghoe once held, that is impossible.”
Dam Sajin preemptively blocked any unreasonable demands Gangchan might make.
He looked down on Gangchan outwardly, though he still watched him with caution.
But Kang Bulhae’s attitude was entirely different. Lifting his head calmly, he spoke.
“I will abide by the young lord’s words.”
Gwak Jagoh and Dam Sajin’s faces twisted in shock at Kang Bulhae’s unexpected statement.
They glared at him openly.
Meanwhile, Gangchan smiled at ease and began to speak.
“Once upon a time, there was a mountain where animals lived well, and on that mountain were three rabbits. One day, a wolf appeared and tried to eat the rabbits. The rabbits ran away as best they could, but no matter how far they ran, a day would come when the wolf caught them.”
“Then, by a twist of fate, a tiger appeared and killed the wolf. Thanks to the tiger, the rabbits survived. Now then, what should the rabbits do? They should go back to their peaceful lives on the mountain and live quietly, even after the tiger leaves. But… what if the rabbits went to the tiger and asked this?”
Gangchan paused to observe the expressions of the three.
“‘Tiger, since you killed the wolf, what will you do with us now?’ If they asked this, what do you think the tiger would do?”
Gwak Jagoh and Dam Sajin chewed on Gangchan’s words in heavy silence.
The first to break it was Dam Sajin. His face grew more and more hostile until he slammed the table and shouted.
“So you’re saying you’re the tiger and we’re the rabbits?!”
Dam Sajin’s voice shook with rage, but Gangchan merely smiled and calmly took a sip of tea.
He set down his cup and answered slowly.
“Isn’t that the case?”
Gangchan’s short reply froze the air in the room.
Dam Sajin’s face hardened, his eyes filling with anger and hostility.
“You dare look down on me.”
Dam Sajin ground his teeth and muttered darkly.
When he first met Gangchan, he was cautious, remembering that Gangchan was the one who’d dealt with Mak Bi.
But as time passed, his suspicion turned into scorn.
***
‘He killed Mak Bi without any martial power? Even if he used some tool, once I figure it out, he’ll be easy to crush.’
He scrutinized Gangchan, scoffing internally. With every moment, he grew more convinced that Gangchan was overestimated, and his confidence swelled.
‘If I dispose of this brat, all of Baekryonghoe’s assets will become mine.’
With that thought, his calculations were complete. Dam Sajin’s hand slipped inside his robe, and without hesitation, he lunged at Gangchan.
The Blood Claw gleamed on both hands, exuding a subtle aura. Dam Sajin swung it fiercely, aiming a lethal blow at Gangchan.
His movement was fierce, the sound of air splitting echoing through the room.
Gangchan watched him calmly and raised his right hand.
As the Blood Claw flew toward his face, Gangchan’s palm intercepted the attack perfectly.
“Kkaang!”
The sudden clash rang out—a sharp metallic sound as metal struck metal. Dam Sajin’s Blood Claw was stopped dead in Gangchan’s palm.
“What…!”
Dam Sajin’s face twisted. He tried with all his might to drive the Blood Claw deeper, but Gangchan’s palm didn’t budge an inch.
Gwak Jagoh, witnessing this, muttered with wide eyes.
“Geumgangbulgwae (Diamond Invulnerability)……!”
Dam Sajin hesitated for a split second, but swiftly attacked from another direction.
However, his movements had already been read.
Gangchan’s eyes flashed sharply, and his fist shot like lightning for Dam Sajin’s temple.
Dam Sajin ducked, trying to evade, but Gangchan’s attack was not that simple.
“Thud!”
As Dam Sajin ducked, Gangchan’s left knee smashed squarely into his face.
With a loud impact, Dam Sajin was sent flying backward. The room fell into momentary silence.
Dam Sajin lay on the ground, his face caved in from the knee strike.
He died instantly, not even having the chance to scream.
A heavy stillness settled in the room.
Truthfully, Gangchan hadn’t intended to kill him.
But the moment he absorbed Dam Sajin’s energy, he felt an overwhelming evil within.
‘Had I spared this man, it would only have led to greater disaster.’
Gangchan’s eyes grew colder.
He looked down at Dam Sajin’s corpse briefly, then shifted his gaze and slowly rose from his seat.
The room was wrapped in heavy silence.
Gwak Jagoh and Kang Bulhae couldn’t even breathe deeply.
Gangchan raised his head to the two and spoke in a low, firm voice.
“Listen, about the rabbit.”
He spoke calmly.
“Do you think, just because the rabbit knows why the wolf died, it can become a tiger?”
His words, simple as they were, carried a weight that crushed Gwak Jagoh and Kang Bulhae.
Both instinctively hunched their shoulders and lowered their heads, unable to meet his gaze.
After a moment of looking out the window, Gangchan spoke toward the door.
“Would you explain the situation here to the Ruju and have this room changed? The ominous atmosphere just won’t clear.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
A servant from Cheonhyangru, waiting outside the annex, immediately rushed off to the main building.
***
A short while later, Nanseol entered the room.
She seemed to have already been informed of the situation; without surprise, she gave orders for the body to be disposed of, then led Gangchan and the two others to another annex.
In the new annex, Gangchan set the scroll Nanseol handed him onto the table.
“Read it.”
With trembling hands, Kang Bulhae unrolled the scroll and, together with Gwak Jagoh, checked its contents.
After a brief hesitation, Gwak Jagoh finally nodded and placed his seal on the scroll.
Kang Bulhae followed suit immediately after.
Gangchan looked at the two calmly and spoke.
“You just need to manage Hangju. Pretend I don’t exist, and as long as you don’t raise your swords at each other, nothing will happen like today. But if you break this promise, I’ll be the one to cut down both the hands holding those swords and your heads as well.”
At Gangchan’s cold words, the two men bowed their heads and hurried out of the room.
A moment later, Nanseol returned to the annex.
“This wasn’t in the plan, but I have obtained the signatures.”
“You’ve worked hard. Am I free now?”
“You were never not free to begin with, Young Master.”
Gangchan looked at her as if exasperated.
“Is that how all beautiful women talk their way out of things?”
Instead of replying, Nanseol blushed and lowered her head. Gangchan chuckled lightly and continued.
“If you keep bowing your head before me, won’t that black-clad gentleman draw his sword again? Are you doing it on purpose?”
Nanseol, still lowering her head, replied in a small voice.
“I’m considering leaving the management of Baekryonghoe to Jinhagi, who was its chief steward.”
With those words, Nanseol hurried out of the room.