Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
A self-satisfied grin tugged at Yanghwi’s lips as he surveyed the public placards affixed across the bustling marketplace.
Goodness, whoever penned these notices possesses quite the flair for phrasing.
“Heh, isn’t that a true masterpiece of writing? ‘Whosoever longs to mend the severed ties of flesh and blood, present yourself at the Baek Estate!'”
Standing beside him, Gu Ak scowled as he observed Yanghwi reveling in his own handiwork.
“Commissioning scribes to craft those bills and paying rumorsmiths to spread word through the streets cost me well above a thousand silver nyang. Little Brother, you had better deliver on this.”
“You reaped thousands in silver nyang purely on my account, yet here you are, wringing your hands over a trivial thousand? Especially when all of this is done on behalf of Sister Rang? Perhaps I should share your stinginess with her when I visit her residence later today.”
“Ugh… I swear, I ought to tear that wicked tongue clean out of your mouth…”
It had already been two days since Rangnang had settled beneath the roof of the Baek Estate.
Gu Ak’s cheeks burned red with fury at Yanghwi’s biting sarcasm, though the anger soon subsided into a troubled, visibly anxious countenance.
“Little Brother. Every word you uttered carried weight, and that alone convinced me to escort Rangnang to the Baek Estate. But should you harbor any ulterior schemes, we will become mortal foes beyond reconciliation.”
Gu Ak stood as the recognized successor of the Honggyo Gang, one of the three dark-path sects reigning over Ak’an County, whereas the Baek Estate was a virtuous, principled lineage of the orthodox faction. Its patriarch was an unyielding martial artist revered by all under heaven with the exalted moniker of Peerless in Chivalry. No matter how thoroughly Gu Ak had consented to the arrangement, leaving the woman he cherished beneath the eaves of such a household grated against every instinct he possessed.
“Rest easy. My father granted his explicit consent beforehand.”
Indeed, on the very day Rangnang had been brought across the threshold, Yanghwi had gone directly to Baek Muryang and laid out every circumstance he could prudently divulge.
“Though my father felt a measure of distaste regarding sheltering the companion of a dark-path ruffian like yourself, Brother Gu, he is hardly the sort of man who could fold his arms and watch an innocent woman walk toward peril.”
Gu Ak offered a reluctant nod. Whatever doubts he harbored regarding others, Baek Muryang’s noble character was beyond question. Truth be told, he placed more faith in that man’s integrity than in the very subordinates who broke bread beside him.
“The Peerless in Chivalry would never act dishonorably, that much is certain.”
“Tsk, tsk. Speaking of a clan master and this younger brother’s honored father in such an overly familiar tone shows a deplorable lack of etiquette.”
Gu Ak looked as though his veins might burst right through his forehead.
“I am barely six years younger than the Peerless in Chivalry himself! You are the madman here, insisting on addressing someone old enough to be your elder uncle as ‘Brother’ whenever you open your mouth!”
Add the years of my former incarnation, and you are far younger than I am, you dolt.
Smirking faintly, Yanghwi glided smoothly away from the argument.
“Shall we put these petty squabbles behind us? Regardless, the fruits of our labor will reveal themselves by tomorrow.”
“Now that I think about it, Little Brother, you never once disclosed who would dare come forward claiming to be Rangnang’s father. Just what manner of person are you seeking to entice by stirring up such a tempest?”
“For the moment, let us simply describe him as an expert with the capacity to slay an apex realm master.”
Gu Ak barked out an incredulous laugh.
“An acclaimed champion of his era and a dark-path prodigy such as myself has already passed thirty summers without piercing the barrier into the apex realm. What kind of formidable figure capable of slaughtering an apex master would degrade himself to the point of posing as the sire of a common courtesan?”
“When a person is pushed to the brink of desperation, they will readily claim to be a father, a mother, or whatever role the world demands. Besides, is reaching the apex realm truly such a grand marvel?”
Yanghwi’s thoroughly nonchalant answer left Gu Ak entirely dumbfounded.
“The apex realm is nothing extraordinary? If that were true, our gang would have subjugated all of Ak’an County long ago.”
His reasoning was sound. Even the mighty Honggyo Gang, among the premier organizations in Ak’an County, possessed merely a single master of the apex realm: its supreme leader. That realm signified the ability to declare oneself the absolute pinnacle across an entire territory. That was the weight of the apex realm.
And yet.
Is crossing into the apex realm truly such an insurmountable feat? In my previous life, I shattered that barrier before reaching twenty summers, and that was accomplished relying solely on our modest ancestral arts.
“At all events, this younger brother must excuse himself. If I am to breach that steep rampart of the apex realm, I cannot neglect my daily regimen.”
Of late, Yanghwi poured every waking moment into relentless training. Had Gu Ak not lost his composure and demanded a meeting after a scant two days, Yanghwi would still have been drenching the dirt of the practice grounds in sweat.
“If you consider yourself a distinguished hero, carry yourself like one and bide your time. I will dispatch word shortly.”
“…I will place my faith in you. My father’s eyes have turned menacing of late, and my brothers scoff, claiming I have lost my senses. Ensure he finds no cause to judge that I have courted pointless calamity.”
“Understood, understood.”
Yanghwi made his way straight back to the Baek Estate. Having finished every prescribed physical exercise for the day, he barred the door to his personal quarters under the claim of dedicated study and brushwork.
This ought to suffice for a foundational outline.
Taking a brush to the virgin surfaces of the freshly stitched volumes, Yanghwi inscribed their designations with steady strokes.
[Heaven-Splitting Sword Records (蓋天劍錄)]
[Harmonious Heaven Primordial Art (和天利原功)]
Between these pages, he had transcribed the hard-won enlightenment of his past existence alongside the two peerless arts he had conceived, setting them down in the physical form of martial scriptures.
The parchment remains crisp and stiff, and the ink has scarcely settled into the grain, meaning I cannot simply present these to Father right away…
No matter. A suitable opportunity would present itself in due time.
Turning his gaze toward the courtyard window, Yanghwi watched the hours slip into dusk until a brilliant, luminous orb of a full moon ascended into the firmament.
The hour is upon us; may he arrive before dawn breaks.
Without delay, Yanghwi assumed the lotus posture upon the floor. Foregoing rest just as he had across the prior two nights, he resolved to pass the dark hours circulating the Harmonious Heaven Primordial Art, extending his sensory perception of qi to its absolute boundary.
Roughly two shichen drifted by.
Through his heightened senses, tuned to razor sharpness by the steady flow of the Harmonious Heaven Primordial Art, Yanghwi detected a delicate, thread-like pulse — an exquisite tremor born from the subtle manipulation of true qi.
Just as I thought. A man who leaves behind an ancestral jade token for his offspring would hardly do so without leaving a tether to trace it.
Atop the small table nearby, the jade ornament he had received from Rangnang quivered with minute pulses. It was vibrating in direct resonance with the foreign waves drifting in from the outside night air.
Yanghwi swept up the ornament and stepped silently out into the shadows.
The closer I draw, the more pronounced the resonance becomes. I must simply follow the trail of the ripples.
The disturbance emanated from the summit of the tallest edifice bordering the perimeter of the Baek Estate.
Since taking the grand gate at this hour was out of the question, he relied on his youthful physique to clear the estate walls and bound across the rooftops.
After an entire month of conditioning, traversing such terrain is second nature.
Leaping weightlessly into the cool air, Yanghwi traversed the rooftops in three swift bounds, landing lightly before the silhouette of an aged man lingering near the edge.
“You seem quite taken by the moonlight, honored elder.”
Draped in threadbare garments, the old man carried a modest bundle slung across his back. Severe furrows lined his weathered visage, bearing witness to decades of profound regret, while his eyes retained a fierce, unyielding obsession that the passage of endless years had failed to extinguish.
“Solitude makes the dark hours feel cold. What brings a young master to such an airy perch?”
“Hearing someone summon an acquaintance, I ventured out to offer you company in your isolation.”
Realizing the youth had pursued the subtle signal, a flicker of profound astonishment crossed the elder’s gaze.
“You possess an astonishingly acute sense for qi, young master. Yet in the ways of the world, visitors generally fall into two categories: those invited, and those who arrive unbidden.”
“Given that the one you sought will not be appearing tonight, would you perhaps indulge an unbidden visitor in a short conversation?”
As his words settled, Yanghwi reached into his chest robes and presented the jade ornament. The elder’s countenance hardened in an instant.
“Do not jump to conclusions. Sister Rang entrusted this to me of her own accord, stating she had no further attachment to it.”
“…It seems you owe me a comprehensive account of matters.”
“If we are to converse freely, should we not exchange our names first? Though, there is little need for me to state mine. You undoubtedly know precisely who I am.”
Yanghwi was entirely correct; the elder already knew the youth’s station. Prior to broadcasting his secret resonance — or more accurately, directly after weeping tears of raw sentiment upon reading the public placards — he had conducted an exhaustive inquiry into the Baek Estate.
“I had heard the Master of the Baek Estate took in an orphaned beggar, yet it seems he merely recognized an exceptional prodigy and claimed him before others could.”
“Describing me in such terms wounds my pride a little.”
“Forgive me. I voiced my thoughts without tact. I offer my apologies for labeling you an orphaned beggar, young master.”
“You should apologize for calling me a mere prodigy, not a beggar.”
“…?”
“While it is undeniable that I once wandered the streets begging, it is entirely mistaken to view me as just a prodigy. I am no run-of-the-mill genius; I am a peerless talent born once in an age. Others tend to regard me as an unmatched prodigy.”
“……”
The elder suddenly caught himself being dragged entirely into the cadence of the boy’s dialogue.
“Young master. I hold no malice toward the Baek Estate. If you will merely bring forth the maiden known as Rangnang for a fleeting moment, I shall depart without causing the slightest disturbance.”
“Honored elder. Forgive me, but as a descendant of an upright orthodox lineage, I converse solely with individuals who have made themselves known.”
Did you demand formal introductions from passersby back when you were begging along the roads?
Suppressing the sharp retort rising in his throat, the old man surrendered his moniker instead.
“I am Yeo Unhyeok.”
“Red clouds. A name rich with character.”
“Yours is equally magnificent, young master. It appears Lord Baek has a discerning eye for names.”
“He bestowed upon me an appellation far grander than I deserve. What name did you grant your own daughter, honored elder?”
“……Arang (兒朗).”
“Yeo Arang. You surely prayed that your child would grow up to shine brightly.”
“I did, in truth. Even so, I await an answer regarding my request.”
The raw earnestness carved into the old man’s face was so piercing that Yanghwi momentarily wavered, tempted to abandon his intricate designs and allow the family to reunite on the spot.
I must not waver. Only through the completion of my stratagem can parent and child secure a lasting peace.
“Sister Rang shares her heart with Gu Ak, the son of the Honggyo Gang leader, Gu Cheolhyo. Their devotion to each other is genuine.”
“I am aware.”
“Are you equally aware of this? The leader of the Honggyo Gang considers Sister Rang merely an instrument to bend his gifted yet headstrong heir to his will.”
Holding fast to his tactical aim, Yanghwi continued without pause.
“The master of the Honggyo Gang is the sort of creature who wrings dry anyone whose vulnerability falls into his grasp. He knows no mercy, and his ambitions stretch far beyond the confines of his station.”
“Are you cautioning me against stepping forward recklessly and offering him leverage? Save your concern. Though my appearance is humble, I have walked a precarious path where survival demands absolute vigilance.”
“What I am telling you is that to the Honggyo Gang leader, even the blood of his own son is simply a pawn to be expended. As for Gu Ak’s fatal weakness… there is surely no need for me to explain it to you.”
At those words, the old man’s features distorted violently. The calm facade cracked, giving way to a dark, roiling fury.
“Has harm befallen Arang?”
“Sister Rang is suffering under the effects of poison.”
Yanghwi remembered the faint trace of toxic qi he had detected the moment Rangnang presented his tea. Pointing out the culprit was unnecessary.
“I state this once more: the Honggyo Gang leader would manipulate the father of his son’s beloved courtesan without a moment’s hesitation. Most especially if that very father possesses an irremediable weakness of his own.”
Yanghwi reflected upon the tapestry of his prior existence.
In that lifetime, the elder had failed to locate his daughter before her life was extinguished. Only long afterward did he stumble upon the jade pendant circulating through the black market, subsequently uncovering the grim reality and igniting a vengeful wrath directed entirely at the Honggyo Gang. Marshaling every connection and resource he held, he drowned the faction in a sea of blood, erasing their name from the realm.
“The web of fate is remarkably tangled, wouldn’t you say? A daughter sought across more than a decade of wandering. A daughter destined to perish at the command of the sire of the man she adores. A dark-path syndicate commanding legions of martial artists, including an apex realm master. And an unknown youth appearing out of nowhere, chattering endlessly before you.”
“A tangled web indeed. Yet however convoluted it seems, could it possibly rival the trials of my own existence? I am grateful for your disclosure, young master. Nevertheless, from this point forward, I insist you remove yourself from this old man’s affairs.”
Hmm. This is not unfolding precisely as I had calculated.
Throughout their exchange, Yanghwi had scattered unmistakable breadcrumbs suggesting he held a grand design.
I presumed he would at least inquire about what scheme I had prepared.
There is no helping it. I must apply the drastic remedy.
“Public enemy of the martial world, Yeo Unjuk, he who alters deer into horses (改鹿爲馬).”
The instant the appellation crossed Yanghwi’s lips, the elder — Yeo Unjuk, who had masked himself with the alias Unhyeok — lunged toward Yanghwi with the speed of an arrow.
And yet.
A reaching arm. Fingers curved into a predatory taloned grip. Revealed beyond the hem of his robe for the first time was a hand crosshatched with countless scars and hardened calluses, resembling the dried, twisted claw of a raven.
As though the river of time had frozen in place, every single detail imprinted itself vividly upon Yanghwi’s gaze.
Stirring the true qi gathered within his dantian, he bridged the gap in his physical mass by planting his foot firmly into the rooftop. Without shifting his focus from the oncoming fingertips, expending not a breath of superfluous motion, Yanghwi deflected the raven-claw grip upward with an exacting strike, simultaneously thrusting a spear-hand straight toward the elder’s exposed throat.
With that single convergence, the clash concluded in Yanghwi’s favor.
“……You are truly no ordinary youth.”
“Is that your only remark after springing an ambush upon a mere child?”
“I meant you no true injury. My sole objective was to subdue you and bind you to silence.”
“I am aware. You withheld your internal energy entirely from that strike.”
That restraint was the precise reason Yanghwi had managed to deflect the advance and mount an immediate counterattack. Whether born of overconfidence or a sliver of mercy, the elder had refrained from striking with lethal intent.
Still, had the gulf between our martial foundations been insurmountable, even that would not have saved me.
Fortunately, for a figure branded a menace by the martial community, Yeo Unjuk’s personal martial prowess was remarkably modest. He had never earned his fearsome reputation through feats of combative violence in the first place.
Alters deer into horses. Dismantling a deer only to reforge it into the likeness of a horse. The true mastery of the elder confronting him belonged to an art detached entirely from martial combat.
“Honored elder. I have no intention of making an adversary of you. Sister Rang is an exceptional woman, and you are her blood father.”
“……What is your objective?”
“The fountainhead of this entire tragedy is that Sister Rang’s beloved happens to be the son of the Honggyo Gang leader. An apex-realm martial art. The collective might of the Honggyo Gang. The dilemma is that the man commanding such power is thoroughly devoid of righteousness.”
A confident smile curved the corners of Yanghwi’s mouth.
“Therefore, how about you and I join hands for a small undertaking? For the preservation of Sister Rang — and for the bright future of your precious daughter.”
Though the timeline had advanced somewhat prematurely, the hour had arrived to sweep away the dark-path vermin, clearing the path for the Baek Estate to assert its dominion.
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