Chapter 35

Chapter 35
## Chapter 35: Just How Strong Are You? (1)

“Boss, it looks like we’re going to need a few more heads of livestock.”

Sima Geon continued his work without shifting his gaze, his hands moving rhythmically as he processed the meat.

“Can’t you tell we’re swamped? Go take care of it yourself.”

“Understood.”

With a flat response, Cheol Woo walked to the rear of the facility and hauled out a hog that was as massive as an ox. Sensing its end, the creature fought back with desperate violence, yet it was helpless against Cheol Woo’s overwhelming grip.

“Try to be a bit more subtle. You’re making too much noise.”

“Understood.”

Cheol Woo gave his standard reply and guided the animal toward a feeding bin.

The hog immediately shoved its snout into the grain, its previous frenzy vanishing as it enjoyed its final meal.

“The air in here… it feels different,” Ha Hu Yeon muttered, his throat dry.

“You idiot! Look closer. It’s not the atmosphere—his entire presence has simply evaporated.”

Ha Hu Yeon’s expression froze in disbelief as he processed Ha Hu Gok’s sharp correction, focusing his senses on Cheol Woo.

Exactly as Ha Hu Gok described, he could detect absolutely no sign of life or energy from Cheol Woo.

The shock deepened the moment Cheol Woo struck the animal’s skull.

Just like the cattle from earlier, the hog’s head dropped into the trough as it went limp.

There was no screech, no typical death throes—not a single sound. The only thing that broke the silence was the dull thud of bone shattering.

“That can’t be achieved through simple physical power,” Ha Hu Yeon whispered, breaking into a nervous sweat as he watched Cheol Woo hoist the massive carcass onto a hook as if it were a feather.

“It is utterly impossible,” Ha Hu Gok replied flatly, his arm slowly rising in Cheol Woo’s direction.

Ha Hu Yeon watched intently.

A concentrated needle of energy erupted from Ha Hu Gok’s bare palm, streaking toward Cheol Woo with lethal intent.

‘The state of Wounding with Intent! Great-grandfather truly is a master!’

Seeing the pinnacle of martial skill where one harms a target through sheer willpower, Ha Hu Yeon felt a surge of reverence. Simultaneously, he was desperate to see how Cheol Woo would handle the invisible strike.

‘Will he step aside? Or perhaps block it?’

He ran through several scenarios, but Cheol Woo did nothing of the sort.

Even as the aggressive wave of energy bore down on him, Cheol Woo didn’t even blink. He remained preoccupied with cleaning the carcass, looking thoroughly bored by his chores.

As Cheol Woo remained stationary, Ha Hu Yeon turned his worried eyes back to Ha Hu Gok.

If Cheol Woo lacked martial training and relied solely on brute force, he would be defenseless against Ha Hu Gok’s internal force. A fatal blow was a very real possibility.

Yet Ha Hu Gok did not pull back.

Just as the energy was about to collide with his skin, Cheol Woo looked annoyed and flicked his left hand. In that heartbeat, the oncoming force dissipated into nothingness.

“T-That’s impossible!”

Ha Hu Yeon’s jaw dropped.

This was no amateur; this was the Sword Ghost.

Who could have predicted that the aura of a man who once ruled the world of martial arts would be brushed aside like a common housefly?

Ha Hu Yeon blinked rapidly, certain his eyes were playing tricks on him.

They weren’t.

Cheol Woo was still standing in the same spot, continuing his work as if nothing had occurred.

While Ha Hu Yeon struggled to process the scene, Ha Hu Gok—who acted as though this development was expected—let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. He noticed Sima Geon watching him with a warning look and offered a small, knowing grin in return.

“This is getting interesting.”

Ha Hu Gok let out a low chuckle and prepared to release another burst of energy, but Sima Geon’s brow furrowed as she snapped her head toward him.

“Stop messing around. I won’t intervene a second time.”

“So you’re claiming you were the one who spared him? Ha! Should I be honored by your mercy?”

The sight of Sima Geon acting superior simply because she had neutralized a mere forty percent of his strength made him want to laugh out loud.

“I’m only concerned that you’re slowing down the production line.”

“That is of no concern to me.”

Ha Hu Gok gave a dismissive snort and stepped forward. Ha Hu Yeon quickly grabbed his sleeve to restrain him.

“What are you planning to do?!”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Ha Hu Gok snapped back, but Ha Hu Yeon gestured toward the building.

“You’ll level this entire place. I don’t mind a lack of meat at the feast, but the dishonor of failing to provide for our guests would leave a mark on the clan’s name.”

Ha Hu Gok hesitated at the mention of the clan’s honor. After a moment of thought, he cuffed Ha Hu Yeon on the back of the head.

“You and your clever tongue.”

Had he mentioned the patriarch’s personal pride instead, Ha Hu Gok likely would have ignored him.

As the two men retreated, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo accelerated their pace. By midday, the mountain of meat required for the celebration was fully prepared.

Once the other laborers were dismissed, Sima Geon walked toward Ha Hu Gok, who had remained stationary, watching her every move.

Ha Hu Gok didn’t waste time with pleasantries.

“Who are you people, really?”

Before Sima Geon could open her mouth, Cheol Woo’s gravelly voice rang out from the shadows.

“You’ve got a big mouth for an old man. Who do you think you are?”

“An old man? Ha ha ha!”

Ha Hu Gok barked a laugh of pure disbelief.

At eighteen, he had entered the fray with nothing but his blade. By fifty-two, he had cut down a hundred masters, cementing his legacy in the Undefeated Record.

The title Sword Ghost had followed him everywhere.

He had never been addressed with such casual disrespect.

“I saw your little display earlier, so I have a fair idea of your capabilities. Let’s just drop this quietly. Or we can settle it here. It makes no difference to me…”

Sima Geon suddenly pressed her hand over Cheol Woo’s face, cutting off his provocation.

“You’re members of the Ha Hu Clan, I assume?”

Ha Hu Gok remained silent, but Sima Geon already had her answer.

No outsider would wander into a slaughterhouse just to pick a fight.

“We aren’t here to cause trouble. We have no desire to fight you, elder. We just want to finish our job.”

“You expect me to believe that? I started this as a test, but that was genuine internal power. And some butcher just sweeps it away like dust. No one in the world would find that plausible.”

“……”

“What is your true motive? Why have you come to our territory?”

Ha Hu Gok’s gaze turned cold and predatory as he stared them down.

“We are butchers from Soheung. Our motive is exactly what you see: preparing meat. What matters is that your own clan requested our services.”

A murderous light danced in Ha Hu Gok’s eyes.

“Are you trying to mock me with semantics?”

The moment he spoke, a terrifying pressure exploded from him, filling the slaughterhouse with a localized storm of killing intent.

The structures groaned and the roof began to shake as if the building might cave in.

Sima Geon’s expression turned grim.

She briefly considered just walking away from the job. But she thought of Old Man So’s reputation—the man who had secured this annual contract—and the significant payment they were due.

With a sigh, Sima Geon mimicked the gesture Ha Hu Gok had used on Cheol Woo. She raised her arm and thrust her palm forward.

Sensing a sudden, bone-chilling force, Ha Hu Gok instinctively leaped backward, clearing the slaughterhouse. The turbulent energy vanished instantly.

Having retreated nearly ten meters in a single breath, Ha Hu Gok stared at Sima Geon with wide-eyed shock.

Unlike his own attack on Cheol Woo, Sima Geon’s move hadn’t been an overt threat. The realization that he had fled in such an undignified manner stung his pride.

‘Did I actually flinch from a mere glance? Me?’

He felt a momentary relief that Ha Hu Yeon wasn’t there to witness his cowardice. He stared at the woman who had made him feel so vulnerable.

‘That was no trick. The pressure she emitted was physical. If I hadn’t moved, I would have been struck.’

While Ha Hu Gok was lost in his thoughts, Sima Geon stepped outside and spoke calmly.

“That was your second warning. There won’t be a third.”

“And if I refuse to stop?”

Ha Hu Gok sneered, masking his unease.

A seed of dread had taken root in his soul, but he refused to let it show. He wasn’t about to back down from a butcher.

“……”

During the tense silence, Cheol Woo—who had been off to the side—let out a dry laugh.

“Hey, old man. Are you trying to get the Ha Hu Clan destroyed? Is that your goal here?”

The words were pure vitriol.

Such an insult would normally drive any member of the clan to draw blood.

It was a level of disrespect Ha Hu Gok shouldn’t have tolerated for a second.

And yet, a horrifying thought crept into his mind: the man might be right.

“Ha ha ha!”

A hollow, dry laugh escaped him.

He was disgusted by his own hesitation. He knew the source of it.

‘It’s the way they look at me.’

Cheol Woo’s eyes held a terrifying certainty, as if the destruction of the clan were a foregone conclusion. Sima Geon, meanwhile, looked on with a detached coldness that was even more unsettling.

His logic told him to strike them down for their insolence, but his instincts—honed through decades of slaughter—were screaming at him to stay away.

‘I haven’t felt this way in a long time.’

His mind drifted back twenty years to a young man from the Namgung Clan who had challenged him.

He had barely won that duel after an hour of combat, mostly due to his own experience over the youth’s raw talent.

Today, that youth was the Sword Saint, the pillar of the Namgung Clan.

‘But this… this is even more daunting than that day.’

Despite his fear, his pride kept him anchored. Sima Geon seemed to sense his internal conflict and softened her tone.

“I promise you, we aren’t hiding any schemes. We want nothing from you. We only desired a quiet life, and we ended up here by chance. We also have a debt to Old Man So, who gave us this trade. Please, just look the other way.”

Ha Hu Gok could tell she was being honest.

Her longing for normalcy suggested a past filled with enough violence to last a lifetime.

Her eyes were filled with a quiet, desperate sincerity.

“And if I cannot?”

He immediately regretted the question.

The words had escaped his lips before he could stop them.

Sima Geon began to twirl a small carving knife between her fingers, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“We went through hell to earn this quiet life. We will go to any lengths to keep it.”

“Do you understand the weight of your words? You speak so dismissively of our clan.”

Ha Hu Gok managed a pained smile, realizing he was hiding behind the clan’s name rather than his own strength.

It was a pathetic realization.

“We have no wish to insult the Ha Hu Clan. We are simply stating that we have no hidden agenda. But if you continue to push us, we will respond.”

“It sounds as though you are declaring war on us.”

“The Ha Hu Clan is not capable of handling us.”

Sima Geon shook her head slowly, her gaze boring into his.

“The real question is: can you afford the consequences?”

Ha Hu Gok was speechless.

It wasn’t just the arrogance of the statement; it was the sheer weight of her conviction. She was asking him, in all seriousness, if his entire clan could survive an encounter with them.

“Ha ha ha!”

He laughed again, though it sounded more like a groan.

He was filled with shame and self-disgust.

That shame quickly curdled into a fierce, burning anger, and a massive wave of energy surged out from him once more.

“Do not mock our lineage. We are not a target for your idle threats.”

“Are you truly intent on this?” Sima Geon asked.

“I believe you want your peace. And my clan doesn’t need to get involved. But my own honor demands an answer.”

Sima Geon noticed the shift in his demeanor. He was no longer speaking for the clan, but for himself.

“What is it you want?”

“What does any old warrior want?”

“This isn’t the right time or place for a duel.”

“There is plenty of space in the hills. Come with me.”

When she didn’t move immediately, Ha Hu Gok began to walk away, looking back over his shoulder at the building.

“Or we can do it here. It makes no difference to me.”

“It’s the patriarch’s seventieth birthday. Do you really want to ruin his celebration?”

“Bah! Who cares about an old man’s party?”

He didn’t care about the patriarch’s feelings at that moment.

The blow to the clan’s image was a small price to pay to extinguish the fire burning in his gut.

Sima Geon realized that unless she gave him the fight he craved, he would never leave them alone.

She pulled off her blood-stained apron and tossed it aside.

“As you wish.”

“Ha ha ha! That’s the spirit. This way.”

Ha Hu Gok laughed with genuine excitement, his eyes lighting up with a youthful ferocity.

As Sima Geon followed the old man’s brisk pace, Cheol Woo—who had been watching the exchange with a grin—began to strip off his own work clothes.