Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
A tense silence gripped Hoyeong Pavilion as the expressions of everyone present stiffened.
The fighters of the Cheongsa Gang, in particular, looked utterly flabbergasted.
“A technique to neutralize our sect’s arts? What kind of nonsense are you babbling?!”
Yanghwi reached into his tunic, produced another manual, and tossed it forward without the slightest care.
“I happened to pick up another one on my way here. See for yourself.”
The First Squadron Leader’s eyes went wide with shock the moment he skimmed the pages.
“This… How could this be possible…?”
“What’s with the shock? As far as I can tell, your syndicate seemed to have laid hands on the counter to the Honggyo Gang’s martial arts as well.”
Yanghwi gave a light chuckle before pressing on.
“It appears some capricious expert is having fun stirring up chaos, and the wheel has turned—now it’s the Cheongsa Gang’s turn to taste bitter ruin!”
“Hwi, mind your tongue.”
Ah, right. I momentarily forgot Father was standing right beside me.
“Forgive me, Father. Spending so much time around Brother Gu has rubbed off on my manners.”
Even with the stench of their recent bloody brawl still lingering in the air, hearing those words made Gu Ak’s fury flare.
This insolent runt has never shown a shred of courtesy toward me, yet he shamelessly fabricates such a bald-faced lie?!
Catching Gu Ak’s murderous glare, Yanghwi cut in smoothly before the man could voice his outrage.
“Regardless! The tides have shifted entirely now, wouldn’t you say, Brother Gu?”
Up until this moment, the Cheongsa Gang had retained the upper hand sheerly through overwhelming numbers, but that advantage had evaporated. Gu Ak stood as the sole first-rate combatant on the scene; armed with this counter-strategy, his lethal capability would ascend to an entirely new tier.
Now that both factions possessed the means to dismantle one another’s techniques, the most either could hope to achieve was mutual ruin.
In high-stakes martial warfare, possessing an opponent’s counter is no different from playing baduk while foreseeing every move the adversary will make. Though the second-rate First Squadron Leader had previously managed to hold his ground against a first-rate fighter like Gu Ak, doing so now was an utter impossibility.
And that was only the beginning of their troubles.
“Imagine how thrilling things will turn once everyone across Ak’an County uncovers how to break the Cheongsa Gang’s arts. Do you really believe the Gyojin Gang will simply sit back and watch?”
The Gyojin Gang was a rival dark-path faction whose borders pressed directly against the Cheongsa Gang. Much like how the Cheongsa Gang had ignited an all-out war the moment they acquired the Honggyo Gang’s counter-technique, they would never pass up an opening of this magnitude.
“Curse it all. Fall back!”
Hearing the First Squadron Leader gnash his teeth and bark the retreat, Yanghwi flashed a mocking smirk.
“Where do you think you’re going? Did you assume you could just march out as effortlessly as you broke in? Spoken just like vulgar dark-path brutes.”
“You arrogant whelp, this isn’t over. Savor your remaining breaths, for I will personally rip that wretched mouth off your face!”
“Your head will likely roll off your shoulders long before you get the chance. Wouldn’t you agree, Brother Gu?”
The grimace on Gu Ak’s blood-smeared face transformed into a sinister sneer.
“Without question. First Squadron Leader, your skull will meet my axe before dusk falls today.”
Watching Gu Ak’s vicious display, Yanghwi smiled inwardly.
The board is sufficiently set.
The Cheongsa Gang had to pull back immediately to brace for an impending strike by the Gyojin Gang. At the same time, the Honggyo Gang had no intention of letting them walk away unscathed, which meant an arbiter was desperately needed. Yanghwi shifted his focus toward Baek Muryang.
“It seems the moment has come for the Master of the Baek Estate to take the stage.”
Stepping forward, Baek Muryang addressed both Gu Ak and the First Squadron Leader.
“This humble Baek offers a compromise to both parties. The innocent populace has suffered far too much bloodshed, and both syndicates must halt their violence at once. Above all else, I will not stand by and allow slaughter on the doorsteps of my clan’s estate.”
“I see no reason why our syndicate should—”
— Blood Axe. If your desire is to live out your years beside Young Lady Rang, hold your tongue and yield.
Gu Ak, who had instinctively bristled to protest, snapped his mouth shut upon receiving Baek Muryang’s internal voice transmission. Casting an unfathomable gaze toward him, Gu Ak stood motionless as Baek Muryang spoke on.
“The Honggyo Gang agrees to this mediation. What says the Cheongsa Gang?”
“…I am not vested with the authority to give a definitive answer, but if this peace holds, our leader will consider himself indebted to the Baek Estate.”
“Very well.”
“We shall take our leave, then…”
The moment the First Squadron Leader moved to lead his surviving men away, Baek Muryang’s voice cut through the air.
“Halt. Did you truly believe you could walk out without compensating the mediator?”
“…What demands do you make?”
“One hundred nyang of gold.”
Converted to silver, that was a staggering ten thousand nyang. It was a fortune grand enough to purchase Hoyeong Pavilion in its entirety.
“Do you not consider that demand outrageously excessive?”
“If I am not mistaken, the establishments seized from the Honggyo Gang by your syndicate amount to three.”
“…”
“If you lack the power to finalize this, convey the terms to your gang leader and dispatch a messenger today. Keep this deadline clear: before the sun sinks beneath the horizon.”
Even if the price were tripled to thirty thousand nyang, the Cheongsa Gang was cornered into agreeing—unless they were prepared to face total annihilation.
“…I will deliver your terms to the gang leader.”
After the Cheongsa Gang contingent cleared out, Baek Muryang turned to Gu Ak.
“Blood Axe. Command your forces to withdraw as well.”
“…Everyone head downstairs. Tend to our injured and clear the corpses.”
Once his subordinates had cleared out, Gu Ak turned back to face them.
“I have countless questions, Lord Baek. But permit me this one first. Setting all else aside, do you possess a brilliant ploy that will convince our gang leader to accept this settlement?”
“Before addressing that, there is an essential premise we must establish, Brother Gu.”
Cutting in without missing a beat, Yanghwi spoke up.
“From the standpoint of the Honggyo Gang, joining forces with the Gyojin Gang to crush the Cheongsa Gang would be the ideal path, if only to settle blood debts. But while that serves the organization, does it align with your personal interests, Brother Gu?”
Gu Ak’s gaze hardened.
A sire ruthless enough to slip lethal venom to his own son’s beloved.
To the master of the Honggyo Gang, Gu Ak was merely one among dozens of offspring—a dangerous rival seen as a direct threat to his authority.
“Keep talking, Little Brother.”
“Your priority must not be the welfare of the Honggyo Gang, Brother Gu, but Sister Rang’s lasting peace. To secure that, you must sway the gang leader yourself.”
“And how precisely do you propose I do that?”
“By presenting him with the counter-technique to their counter-technique.”
“You claim you can neutralize the counter devised against our sect’s foundational martial art, the Rock-Splitting Axe Technique? Who could possibly achieve such a feat?”
Yanghwi hooked a thumb toward his chest with an easy grin.
“Who else but the peerless genius standing right before your eyes?”
“I ought to reprimand you for uttering such ludicrous drivel, yet it baffles me that a part of me actually considers it possible. Even so, accomplishing that would first require you to possess the counter-technique targeting the Rock-Splitting Axe Technique in the first place, would it not?”
Yanghwi flashed a wide grin, drew forth yet another manual, and tossed it into Gu Ak’s hands. As he scanned the text, an expression of profound astonishment washed over Gu Ak’s features.
“This is…!”
“I bought off an operative from the Cheongsa Gang to secure their counter, and then I formulated a revised method that renders their entire strategy useless.”
To put it accurately, he had corrected the inherent flaws within the Rock-Splitting Axe Technique, elevating it into a far more refined and deadly discipline.
“You developed this by your own hand, Little Brother? Preposterous. However exceptional your gifts may be, how could a mere child who has barely set foot upon the martial path…!”
His incredulity was entirely understandable. Yanghwi had produced the manual with such swiftness only because he had already perfected it in his previous existence, using it as an exercise prior to establishing his own family’s martial legacy. Even so, Yanghwi kept a straight face and brazened it out.
“Will you finally concede that I am the greatest prodigy under heaven?”
Baek Muryang spoke up in support.
“Hwi speaks the truth. I remained by his side throughout, watching with my own eyes as he drafted the counter-technique.”
Indeed, Baek Muryang had spent several days watching in sheer wonder as Yanghwi constructed the techniques.
“Peerless in Chivalry. Coming from you, I can accept it as truth.”
A storm of conflicting emotions raged within Gu Ak’s eyes.
If this were genuine, Yanghwi’s raw genius posed an existential threat. Considering the status of the Baek Estate and the future survival of the Honggyo Gang, the most prudent course would be to eliminate the boy immediately. Yet this very prodigy was actively assisting him. Furthermore, the Baek Estate was providing sanctuary to Rangnang, meaning his debt to them was already immense.
“What is required of me?”
Though an outlaw walking the dark path, Gu Ak was not one to betray a debt of gratitude. He was, above all, a fierce romantic who would sooner watch the entire Honggyo Gang burn to the ground than bring sorrow to Rangnang.
“Deliver the counter to the counter-technique to the Honggyo Gang leader, Brother Gu, and claim credit for its creation yourself.”
“My standing in the syndicate will skyrocket instantly. My father—no, the gang leader—will perceive me as an immediate threat and move to suppress me.”
“Every fighter in the gang will be compelled to master the newly revised Rock-Splitting Axe Technique, effectively freezing their movements for several months. That window will be more than sufficient.”
The territorial disputes of Ak’an County’s criminal syndicates could never drag on for that long anyway. Yanghwi fully intended to settle the entire conflict well before then.
“Furthermore, there is a fee for this supreme counter-technique.”
“You already demanded ten thousand nyang from the Cheongsa Gang. What price do you expect from me?”
“A simple exchange. I will hand over that entire sum of ten thousand nyang to you, and in return, you will transfer ownership of Hoyeong Pavilion to us.”
Hoyeong Pavilion was the premier pleasure house in the vicinity of the Baek Estate, making it the perfect cornerstone for their family’s initial commercial venture.
“Hoyeong Pavilion falls directly under my territory, so orchestrating its sale will present little difficulty. Even less so once I claim credit for improving the Rock-Splitting Axe Technique. But what follows? What is your ultimate objective?”
Yanghwi offered an airy response.
“The Cheongsa Gang will be wiped out by the Gyojin Gang. Following that, the Honggyo Gang will bare its teeth at the Gyojin Gang to seize whatever remains of the spoils.”
Thus far, the sequence of events was easy enough to deduce.
“And after that?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea!”
In reality, every single move had already been meticulously calculated. Yet he could never divulge the full design to Gu Ak. Regardless of how heavily a father oppressed his son or tried to poison his son’s beloved, patricide was a sin that left indelible scars on the soul.
“Your sole duty, Brother Gu, is to shut yourself away, train relentlessly, and master the revised Rock-Splitting Axe Technique.”
“With the situation teetering on a knife’s edge, you expect me to simply cultivate?”
“Tsk. If you would simply break through into the apex realm, wouldn’t every one of these predicaments vanish, Brother Gu? Truly, your aptitude is… Ah, that was terribly discourteous of me. My apologies!”
“…”
Can this little bastard not keep his tongue in check for even a single breath?
Just as Gu Ak was seething internally, Baek Muryang interjected.
“Blood Axe. I have faith you will proceed as Hwi has outlined. We shall take our leave.”
Gu Ak exhaled deeply, clasping his hands in a formal martial salute.
“So be it. I place my trust in you. Safe journey.”
Baek Muryang lifted Yanghwi onto his back and bounded out through the shattered window. He carried the boy across the rooftops without pause until they touched down safely within the grounds of the Baek Estate.
“Hwi. Every single detail unfolded precisely as you predicted.”
“It seems fortune favors the path of our clan.”
“Indeed. Fortunate beyond measure. Having you enter our household has been the greatest blessing of all.”
Baek Muryang gazed down warmly at the youth who had voluntarily chosen their house and become his adopted son.
“Our clan has truly gained an enterprise of its own. And Hoyeong Pavilion, no less.”
Though forfeited during the era of his father’s leadership, Hoyeong Pavilion had originally been an asset of the Baek Estate. That ancestral connection was the exact reason Yanghwi had targeted it from the beginning.
“Hwi.”
“Yes, Father?”
“There is one matter that weighs on my mind.”
“Ask whatever you wish, and I will answer.”
“Everything is aligning exactly to your words. To your father’s eyes, the coincidences seem almost too perfect. By chance, do you know the identity of the mysterious expert who distributed the counter-techniques to the dark-path sects?”
Having anticipated this inquiry long ago, Yanghwi offered a calm nod.
“Yes. I know.”
“How?”
“Do you remember the token I used when we displayed the public notice for Sister Rang?”
After providing a slightly altered account of his initial encounter with Yeo Unjuk, Yanghwi elaborated.
“The board playing out before us is entirely constructed by the hand of Sister Rang’s father. To tell the truth, the counter-technique I claimed to have devised was bestowed by him as well.”
“Ah… So it was Young Lady Rang’s father who orchestrated this.”
“Indeed. He seeks the absolute destruction of the Honggyo Gang to ensure Sister Rang’s happiness. He devised this elaborate scheme specifically so that Brother Gu would remain oblivious to his hand in it.”
“I see…”
As Baek Muryang exhaled a sigh of quiet awe, Yanghwi spoke again.
“Father, may I go and meet with Sister Rang’s father?”
“I had wondered why you slipped away so often of late, but it turns out you were laboring tirelessly for our family. Go ahead.”
“Understood!”
Yanghwi leapt forward, vanishing into the distance with light, energetic strides.
Slipping away from the Baek Estate, Yanghwi made haste toward their prearranged destination.
The rendezvous point was the rooftop of the very pavilion where he had first crossed paths with Yeo Unjuk. Reaching the summit with vastly superior ease compared to his first visit, Yanghwi surveyed the sprawling scenery below as he waited.
“Young Master.”
Already aware of the elder’s approach, Yanghwi pivoted as Yeo Unjuk’s voice resonated through the air, immediately cutting straight to the core of the matter.
“The time has come to secure the final piece of our strategy. Elder, please strike down the Honggyo Gang leader.”
Borrowing a blade to execute a kill. That had been the singular purpose behind the grand board he had arranged from the very beginning.
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