After Gangchan left, Suryongdae quickly moved Paeng Cheonho, Paeng Suhyeon, and Nangung Jaeyeong to a separate building of the guesthouse, then urgently sought out a physician.
When a fairly renowned physician in Hangju entered the annex, the remaining members of Suryongdae gathered in the courtyard and began discussing what to do next.
Je Gal Yong looked around at the members of Suryongdae gathered in the courtyard, let out a sigh, and spoke.
“What kind of mess is this on our very first day in Hangju? Even if this was unexpected, we can’t just stand around dazed. Everyone, get a hold of yourselves.”
He continued, his voice firm.
“First, we have to be certain about those three’s injuries if we’re to decide on a course of action. And we absolutely must figure out who that man just now was.”
As a brief silence fell, Murong Wi raised his head and responded.
“Then, if their injuries are severe, are you saying we should all return together?”
Yaryul Myeong quickly shook his head and objected.
“That’s not possible. Our mission isn’t that dangerous anyway, is it? If their condition is bad, I think it’s best to select two of us to return with them, and have the remaining five finish the mission.”
Opinions were divided, and each presented their own argument, but they couldn’t reach a clear conclusion.
With Nangung Jaeyeong, leader of Team 1, sidelined by injury, everyone’s gaze naturally turned to the eldest, Je Gal Yong.
Standing in the middle of the courtyard and looking around at everyone, Je Gal Yong fell into thought for a moment, then spoke.
“We can’t come to a conclusion like this. Since our course depends on the injured’s condition, let’s just wait for now.”
While everyone nodded and waited, the physician inside finally stepped out slowly.
Je Gal Yong hurriedly approached and asked, “How are they?”
With all eyes on him, the physician swallowed nervously.
Dragged here by martial artists, and realizing his patients were direct descendants of powerful clans, he thought he might faint on the spot.
A single mistake could mean death. So he had done his utmost in the examination.
The physician, drenched in sweat, cautiously began.
“First, please calm yourselves. One of the young gentlemen has no issues at all. He’s just a bit startled and weak, but with some rest, he’ll be fine. The one with the facial injury—honestly, it’s nothing serious. He only fainted briefly. Though it will take a while for the bruises on his face to fade.”
As the physician finished, Yaryul Hui, who had been quietly listening, carefully asked, “What about Suhyeon?”
“If you mean Suhyeon… are you referring to that young lady?”
“Yes, how is our Suhyeon?”
“The young lady has no major physical injuries. With a few days of proper rest, she should recover. However…”
“However, what?”
“The shock was severe, so her mind and spirit are both greatly fatigued. Rest in a quiet environment is the most important thing now.”
“What does that mean? Is there no further treatment?”
“There’s nothing more I can do with my medical skills. Again, the best thing now is for her to avoid any movement and focus on recovering her stability. Observe her condition for a few days. I will take my leave now.”
Afraid of being blamed for any reason, the physician quickly bowed and left.
Once he was gone, the members of Suryongdae breathed a sigh of relief and entered the room.
Nangung Jaeyeong, having regained his senses, was sitting up slowly. The Paeng siblings also seemed to have recovered consciousness, but still lay down, unable to move.
When the others entered the room, Paeng Suhyeon, hearing their approach, turned her back without a word.
Some showed discomfort at her reaction, but soon turned their attention to Nangung Jaeyeong.
Je Gal Yong looked at the now-seated Nangung Jaeyeong with concern and asked gently,
“Nangung Captain, how are you feeling?”
“My head aches a bit, but nothing serious. But what exactly happened?”
“I’m glad you’re alright. Let’s talk in detail after you recover some more. For now, rest is most important.”
Murong Hye, Nangung Unhye, and Yaryul Hui cautiously approached Paeng Suhyeon, who was lying with her back to them. They tried to speak, even if just to force a conversation, but Suhyeon’s reaction was icy.
Yaryul Hui softly spoke.
“Suhyeon, are you alright?”
Paeng Suhyeon slowly turned around, her eyes blazing with venom as she glared at them. Then she shouted sharply.
“You all acted like you didn’t see when I was being humiliated, so why act concerned now? Don’t look at me with those eyes. That bastard will die in agony, torn to shreds by my family’s hands, you hear me?”
Startled by Suhyeon’s outburst, Murong Hye and Nangung Unhye couldn’t respond, but Yaryul Hui stepped in calmly.
“Suhyeon, don’t be like this. We know how upset you are. But this isn’t the way to resolve it. Most importantly, it’s true that he saved us. And… you have to admit that your attitude was also at fault.”
At Yaryul Hui’s logical remark, Suhyeon’s eyes sharpened further. She glared at Yaryul Hui as if she would devour her, gritting her teeth.
“It doesn’t matter whether I was wrong or not—what matters is that I was utterly humiliated by that bastard. Humiliating me is humiliating the whole Paeng family. So if you’re going to say that kind of thing, disappear from my sight. Unless you want to become a target of my revenge too.”
Even after hearing Suhyeon’s venomous words, Yaryul Hui couldn’t continue. With a sigh, she turned away, feeling uneasy about Suhyeon’s hostility and the awkward air in the room.
Yaryul Hui knew Suhyeon’s behavior didn’t stem solely from her own personality.
The pride and sense of superiority held by members of the Wudaisega were sometimes too much even for other clans within the Cheonyeon Union to bear. But the Yayul Sega had always held a distinctly different position from the others.
When the Cheonyeon Union was first formed, it was the Hwangbo Sega, not the Yayul Sega, that was included among the Wudaisega.
At that time, the Yayul Sega, as a member of the Jungso Sega, joined the Union but was not in a prominent position.
However, as the Yayul Sega was based in Yancheng, Gyeongsang Province, they were able to preserve their strength during the war against the Demonic Sect, and steadily maintained their power.
After the war, the Yayul Sega supported many other clans, gaining trust. In difficult times, the wholehearted support of the Jungso Sega naturally gathered around the Yayul Sega, and they gradually established their place within the Cheonyeon Union.
The first Ryunjoo, Namgung Dobaek, the younger brother of the Geomseong Namgung Suchan, was unanimously selected as Ryunjoo by all clans.
However, he could not overcome the internal injuries sustained during the war with the Demonic Sect, and passed away ten years after becoming Ryunjoo.
With Namgung Dobaek’s death, the position of Ryunjoo became vacant, and the Wudaisega competed fiercely to have the new Ryunjoo come from their own clans. Amid such overbearing competition, no agreement could be reached, and in the end, the Yayul Sega’s Doje Yaryulcheong was selected as Ryunjoo in a stroke of luck.
Yaryulcheong, then the highest master of the Yayul Sega, was called the Blade Emperor and was highly regarded for both his martial arts and leadership.
With Yaryulcheong’s rise as Ryunjoo, the Yayul Sega replaced the formerly weaker Hwangbo Sega to become one of the Wudaisega.
Though Yaryulcheong’s selection was partly due to chance, during his tenure he maintained a balance between the Wudaisega and Jungso Sega within the Cheonyeon Union, leading the alliance stably.
In particular, his habit of listening to the Jungso Sega and supporting their views greatly contributed to their trust and support for the Yayul Sega.
Nevertheless, some among the Four Great Clans continued to disparage the Yayul Sega, belittling their status as something gained only by luck.
This sort of view was a sore spot for the Yayul Sega, but with the unwavering support of the Jungso Sega, they firmly maintained their place among the Wudaisega.
Yaryul Hui felt proud of this history, yet the subtle alienation she felt from the disparagement and wariness of the Four Great Clans always pricked at her heart.
Paeng Suhyeon’s attitude brought that sense of alienation back to her mind, and a wave of injustice welled up. But she determined that responding emotionally was unfit for her position as a clan representative.
‘I mustn’t waver. Sooner or later, Paeng Suhyeon will reflect on her own actions.’
Suppressing her turbulent emotions, Yaryul Hui renewed her sense of responsibility.
***
On a small hill near the main road from Yuhang to Hangju, rough-looking men began gathering one by one.
The most conspicuous among them was Bandang, the leader of Heukho Bang.
Like most of those on the dark path, he joined simply to make a living. Through nothing but brute force and vicious perseverance, he ousted the previous leader at twenty-five and became head of Heukho Bang, one of the three major dark factions in Suzhou.
He wasn’t particularly talented, but his knack for surviving countless battles was famous even in Suzhou.
In truth, since becoming leader, he hadn’t been dissatisfied with the current order.
Then, by chance, he met Gu Jinhyuk, and began to dream.
Gu Jinhyuk egged him on, telling him he wasn’t destined to be satisfied with merely heading a dark faction.
At first, Bandang enjoyed his company, but he wasn’t stupid.
He never considered himself fit to rule all of Suzhou, but Gu Jinhyuk seemed to hand him the opportunity to seize it as if it were only natural.
His faint suspicion of Gu Jinhyuk gradually turned to conviction through his meticulous words and actions.
Now, Gu Jinhyuk was presenting him with a much grander stage—Hangju.
If he could take Hangju, who would dare call him a mere thug?
A hero!
He would become a hero.
Bandang looked around at his men, who were gathering fast.
His subordinates, who had set out separately to avoid suspicion from the authorities, were now nearly three hundred strong.
Among them, about a dozen stood out in particular.
According to Gu Jinhyuk, they were like fixers who handled jobs for profit; their skills were truly exceptional.
Thanks to their efforts, Heukho Bang had taken Suzhou with hardly any losses—quietly eliminating the top brass of rival factions.
What really captured Bandang’s heart were their terms.
They demanded thirty percent of Suzhou’s profits for five years, and, if they succeeded in taking Hangju, an identical share of its profits.
That was no small amount. But if their share was that large, Bandang’s own seventy percent would be even more staggering.
And after five years, all the profits would be his alone.
Moreover, this time, two more masters were joining the effort than during the Suzhou takeover—perhaps all he had to do was lend his name.
Dreams he’d never dared have in his life now bubbled up endlessly.
“Now that everyone’s here, listen up!”
When Bandang began, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
“From here, we’ll push straight into the heart of Hangju—Cheonhyangru. According to our intel, only Heukcheonhoe and Cheonrangpa among the existing powers remain intact in Hangju. Like in Suzhou, leave the top experts to those assigned to them—just charge in. Understood?”
“Yes!!!”
Their confident roar echoed far and wide.
Their overwhelming victory in Suzhou had given them immense confidence.
***
At that very moment, the four factions of Hangju had gathered all their members at the northern entrance of the city.
There were nearly nine hundred of them.
“What makes Heukho Bang think they can take us on like this?”
Kang Bulhae looked at Gwak Jagoh with frustration.
“If I knew, I’d be less frustrated myself.”
“But when Heukho Bang unified Suzhou, they supposedly didn’t suffer any real losses. Does that even make sense?”
“I’ve looked into it, too. They say the rival leaders were all killed before the fighting even started.”
“Does that mean Heukho Bang used assassins?”
“Who knows. But something of that level was definitely involved. There’s no other way to explain it. If they have an assassin, that person must be quite skilled. So you’d better be especially careful this time.”
“An assassin in a back-alley brawl….”
“Yes.”
“You know, the more I think about it, the more I feel this fight may not be a simple back-alley skirmish.”
Gwak Jagoh fell silent after these words, lost in thought.
This incident had brought many memories to the surface.
His fierce life.
And how, as he grew older, took on a family and children, he’d been inevitably corrupted by greed—despite once prizing loyalty above all else in his youth.
Having attained martial skills beyond second-rate, even reaching the realm of the first-rate, he had lived his life proudly as a martial artist.
But how did the world really see him? Was he truly a martial artist, or just a boss of scoundrels, aged and soaked in avarice?
He wished for the former, but the thought that the latter was true gnawed at him.
As he gazed at his subordinates, raucous as if at a festival, Gwak Jagoh lifted his head and organized his thoughts.
‘Whatever happens, if I don’t get this situation under control, there will be no tomorrow.’
The prelude to the fight was drawing ever closer.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.