Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
With a sharp snap, the palm-sized metallic orb parted down its center, swinging open on an unseen hinge.
Why on earth did it suddenly unlock?
Dazed as he was, Yanghwi moved on pure instinct, snatching the tiny medicinal pellet out of the air as it slipped from the hollow sphere.
“…….”
“…….”
A suffocating quiet fell across the courtyard of the Yu Estate.
Yanghwi, Gu Ak, and the ring of killers locked eyes in mutual astonishment.
A single thought bounced between their startled glances.
Wait… what just happened? I only meant to crush the damn thing……
Faced with a hopeless confrontation, he had seized the metal ball purely as a bargaining chip. To sell the bluff, he had deliberately saturated the casing with a massive blast of true qi.
Could it really be?
Did my energy trigger the lock?
The notion seemed far-fetched.
The orb was plainly a container crafted to protect its contents. Having changed hands innumerable times across generations, there was zero chance no previous owner had channeled internal force into it. Plain true qi could never be the sole mechanism.
Does it respond to a specific pattern? But I didn’t direct the energy in any unusual way—wait.
A realization flared in his mind.
The immortal core—that nascent anchor nestled deep within his dantian.
The pure immortal qi trickling from its depths, fundamentally altering the nature of the cultivation pool inside him.
Perhaps it responded exclusively to immortal qi.
Neither that core nor that celestial energy had existed during his prior lifetime.
Focusing his concentration, Yanghwi channeled his energy into the casing once more, deliberately isolating the pulse of his immortal qi.
Snap!
The shell shut, then unlatched smoothly once more.
Just as I suspected. The mechanism yields only to immortal qi.
Before he could dwell on the discovery—
“Boy. How you bypassed the seal is of no concern, but surrender the medicine. Hand it over, and your life will be spared.”
One of the cloaked killers stepped forward to speak.
Yanghwi offered an amused, mocking scoff.
“A cultivated youth from a respectable lineage doesn’t waste breath on nameless footpads who lack the basic decency to introduce themselves.”
“…….”
Habit had nudged him to bait his adversary, hoping anger might expose a flaw, until he recalled that every butcher trained in Nameless Killing Valley practiced the Heartless Art.
Emotional taunts will never pierce those stone walls.
“If a dialogue is what you seek, shouldn’t you state your name first?”
“I am Am, Valley Lord of Nameless Killing Valley.”
Am. It was unlikely derived from the character for a boulder; it undeniably meant darkness.
These covert executioners invariably harbored an absurd fixation with somber, bleak monikers. Everything revolved around shadows, abyss, or ink.
“Since you value courtesy so dearly, the courtesy falls to you, Young Hero.”
“I don’t waste my name on hired hounds.”
“…….”
Am offered no response. Devoid of volatile sentiment, he was merely measuring his options rather than nursing an injured ego.
Yanghwi seized the brief hesitation to sort through his thoughts.
First: his intended hostage—the sphere itself—had popped wide open before the killers of Nameless Killing Valley.
Second: the trigger was unmistakably immortal qi, hinting that the origins of this relic might shine a light on his own peculiar energy.
Third: with the pill firmly in his grip, the leverage remained entirely his.
“Answer me one thing. What is the true nature of this metallic sphere?”
“I have no reason to enlighten you.”
“Is that your stance?”
Yanghwi raised the pellet toward his parted lips, and every assassin present visibly stiffened.
A taunting smirk touched his face.
“A treasure that bestows vigor simply by resting in one’s sleeve produced this pill. It can only be an elixir of tremendous potency, wouldn’t you say? Force my hand, and I will swallow it whole.”
“Do so, provided you wish to discard your life.”
The declaration carried no murderous intent; rather, it bore the cold weight of a warning that untamed spirit medicine would tear an unready body apart.
So that is the truth of it?
To think a divine medicine he had never even laid eyes upon in his previous existence had tumbled straight into his palm. He had originally mapped out plans to hunt down spiritual roots years down the line when rumors emerged, yet fate had delivered one early.
“Whether the medicine burns me to ash or your blades cut me down, the end remains identical. Don’t you agree?”
“You have my word. Relinquish the medicine, and we shall depart without bloodshed. No further lives will be extinguished.”
“Save your breath. You intended to butchered every breathing soul across the Yu Estate just to bury the secret of this relic.”
“…….”
“What madman places his trust in the word of ruthless dark-path slaughterers?”
Whether Gu Ak—himself a reformed ruffian of the dark path—winced at the label, Yanghwi paid no heed and let out a disdainful chuckle.
The second their prize slipped from his grasp, these butchers would discard their pledge without a second thought.
“Young Hero. Unless a mutual destruction is your desire, we would do well to strike an accord.”
“Very well. Begin by unveiling the history of this object.”
“Such knowledge is hardly required to seal our bargain.”
“That is your judgment. Should I chew it now?”
This moment offered the sole window to pry into the origin of immortal qi. He needed to wring every drop of truth from this man.
Seeing the youth remain unyielding, Am surveyed his perimeter, offered a covert glance toward his subordinates, and finally conceded.
“The complete truth eludes me as well. All I know is that it represents an ancient heritage, left behind centuries ago by a legendary figure hailed as the Greatest Under Heaven upon ascending beyond mortal bounds.”
“And what was this sovereign’s name?”
“I do not possess that knowledge.”
Lies. He knew full well, but clamped his mouth shut.
Evidently, this well had run dry.
“First, command your subordinates to fall back.”
“To what end?”
“You spoke of common ground. In the end, the medicine is yours and your men depart, correct?”
A fabrication, naturally.
Honoring such a bargain was entirely out of the question.
“If that is our agreement, there is no purpose in keeping your blades at our throats, is there?”
“…….”
At Am’s silent command, the ring of killers widened their perimeter.
Even so, they refused to abandon their quarry, shifting into an encircling crescent.
Dropping lightly from the perimeter wall, Yanghwi stepped alongside Gu Ak.
“Little Brother. What is your scheme here?”
“Before we discuss that, Brother Gu, why did you let yourself be penned in so completely?”
“Did you not instruct me to shield as many Yu Estate servants as I could manage?”
“Did you simply barrel in with weapons drawn? You should have deployed some measure of strategy!”
Was it foolish to anticipate tactical finesse from a hot-headed bruiser reared on the dark path?
Swallowing remarks that would have undoubtedly sent Gu Ak into a sputtering fury, Yanghwi shifted to silent qi transmission.
— Their capability…… the foot soldiers are roughly second-rate, while the valley master reaches the first-rate threshold. Is that your assessment?
— Spot on. I could hold the valley master myself, but those subordinates will overwhelm us.
Under typical circumstances, a single first-rate combatant could keep three or four second-rate opponents at bay, though securing an outright victory while outnumbered was nearly impossible; stalling was the best one could hope for.
Between them, only Gu Ak possessed first-rate capability, while Yanghwi remained constrained by his youth.
We are entirely outmatched.
In their current state, walking away intact from the blades of Nameless Killing Valley was a fantasy.
He had to guarantee these fiends actually withdrew the second the medicine was forfeited.
“Tell me, Valley Lord. Will you truly honor your vow and withdraw once the pill is in your grasp?”
“Without fail.”
“Then lay out terms that prove it.”
“Consider this. You clearly trace your roots to an established sect. We shall proceed together, holding this distance, until we arrive at the boundaries of your clan’s territory. There, you may deliver the pill into our hands.”
Essentially, he was proposing an exchange under the protective canopy of Yanghwi’s supposed elders.
Yanghwi adopted a thoughtful, captivated expression.
Within, however, cold derision churned.
He offers safe passage when there is nothing stopping me from downing the medicine the moment I step behind my elders’ gates?
A scheme so transparent could only trick a green novice.
Wait. Does he think so little of me because of my years?
The assassin undoubtedly believed such a clumsy deception was more than sufficient to hoodwink an eight-year-old child.
Beside him, Gu Ak was actually bobbing his head in agreement, visibly convinced the assassin’s proposition sounded reasonable.
Good grief, Brother Gu has never possessed the sharpest wit.
“A sensible proposal. Yet an obstacle remains.”
“Name it.”
“The survival of the people of the Yu Estate.”
Should they march away under the valley lord’s arrangement, the helpless retainers left behind would be butchered to the last soul.
“Their fate bears no relevance to your survival, Young Hero.”
As expected, he intends to slaughter every witness.
“How does it bear no relevance? You expect me to casually witness the butchery of harmless folk?”
“Do their lives hold greater weight than your own breath?”
“Hardly. However……”
A wry, crooked grin pulled at Yanghwi’s mouth.
“If I preserve my own skin while abandoning innocents to the slaughter, my old man will skin me alive.”
“……?”
“The sheer horror of enduring four shichen of unending reprimands…… no thanks. I would rather wager my blood in a brawl!”
“Then state your condition.”
“Permit every soul of the Yu Estate to walk free. Once their backs clear the horizon, we may conclude our arrangement.”
An absolute ultimatum. Hovering the pill against his teeth once more, Yanghwi displayed his unwavering resolve to Am.
Witnesses or not, the threat rested upon the single absolute truth: ending their lives meant nothing if the elixir was lost forever.
“……So be it.”
“You heard the man! Retainers of the Yu Estate, abandon the grounds and run as far as your feet will carry you!”
The trembling figures huddled before the pavilion began scrambling to their feet.
“Bless you, Young Hero!”
“We shall never forget this grace!”
“Save your gratitude for the road! These cutthroats will hunt your tracks soon enough, so vanish into hiding and don’t look back!”
Urged on, roughly a dozen staff members fled into the night.
Within the courtyard, only Gu Ak, Yanghwi, and roughly a dozen dark-clad killers remained.
“I have met every demand you laid forth, Young Hero. It is time you honor your side.”
His restraint was visibly reaching its limit.
Am lifted his palm, and the assassins snapped their loose net shut once more.
“This is my final patience. Name the destination for our exchange.”
“So your hounds can sniff out my lineage and weigh whether we can retaliate?”
“Do you possess an alternative that preserves both our interests?”
“I do, as a matter of fact.”
Offering an offhand smirk, Yanghwi’s mind raced with such furious intensity that he felt heat radiating from his skull.
The dogs of Nameless Killing Valley must never trace our path back to the Baek Estate.
A clan of ruthless killers would not hesitate to stage a midnight massacre, exterminating my kin down to the roots.
Furthermore, their initial objective was to secure Chudal without harm.
Trailing alongside these killers under the guise of an exchange would only lead straight into a lethal trap.
Which led to an unavoidable conclusion.
We must break their fangs here, dealing a wound severe enough to cripple Nameless Killing Valley beyond repair.
Since the valley lord had taken the field in person, the elite blades surrounding them constituted the core strength of their organization. Eradicating them here would fulfill the objective.
The dilemma lay in the execution.
Yet an answer stirred within him.
More precisely, the violent, magnetic resonance pulling at his core supplied the very method.
There was no mistaking it.
The immortal core is thirsting for this pellet.
Swallowing an unrefined pill of unknown provenance was sheer madness.
Logic screamed against it. His rational mind knew it was suicidal.
Yet peering into the tiny sphere, an innate, ancient resonance whispered certainty into his veins—a conviction that his vessel could endure the storm.
Besides, every other path leads to the grave.
Yanghwi was not a gambler who relied on blind impulse, yet the present crisis offered no luxury of caution.
When perfection was impossible, the boldest compromise was the only path forward.
“You desire this medicine so desperately?”
Flashing a reckless grin, Yanghwi let the challenge hang.
In that fleeting second, despite decades spent mastering the emotionless Heartless Art, a prickle of primal dread seized the Valley Lord of Nameless Killing Valley.
That foreboding was realized in the span of a heartbeat.
— Brother Gu! Steady yourself for battle!
Snapping the mental command, Yanghwi threw his head back, popped the medicine past his teeth, and swallowed it whole.
“Well now, what a pity! It seems the prize is gone!”
A sly, mocking grin split the boy’s face.
The Valley Lord of Nameless Killing Valley barked in a frenzied roar.
“Slay them both without delay! Cleave the boy open and carve the medicine from his gut!”
“As if I’d roll over for you bastards!”
Watching the tide of steel surge toward him, Yanghwi cast a fervent prayer toward the heavens, banking entirely on his inner instinct.
An earth-shattering tempest of raw essence detonated from the center of his chest.
This power is……!
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