Chapter 142

“Li Feng, lay disciple of Huashan, pays his respects to Martial Uncle Cheongpung.”

Zaha Divine Technique. Plum Blossom Sword Technique. And finally, the last word to come from Li Feng’s mouth:

Martial Uncle.

Gong Ilhyuk’s face darkened at this unbelievable turn of events.

Then is that bastard really…?

Even if Cheongpung wasn’t the Sword Saint’s biological grandson, one thing was certain.

The idiot bowing over and over with a bewildered look on his face had inherited everything from the Sword Saint, Mae Jonghak.

“Th-this can’t be. It’s impossible. This makes no sense…”

As Gong Ilhyuk stammered in denial, a lilting voice reached his ears.

“Great Hero Gong.”

“Ah, Deputy Military Commissioner.”

Gong Ilhyuk’s expression brightened when he spotted Hong Jin.

The Zhongnan Sect had been pursuing various ventures through its government connections, and Hong Jin was one of the powerful figures in Shanxi Province they had come to know in the process.

He was also the only person who could offer Gong Ilhyuk a lifeline in his current predicament.

“What happened?”

Hong Jin’s gentle voice put Gong Ilhyuk at ease.

“I must have been mistaken for a moment.”

“Mistaken? About what?”

“I merely thought he was some fraud going around trading on the Sword Saint’s name…”

“Well, I know next to nothing about martial arts, but he didn’t look like a fraud to me.”

“There, there was only a slight misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding…”

Hong Jin murmured the word quietly, then stared directly at Gong Ilhyuk.

“Great Hero Gong.”

“Yes, Deputy Military Commissioner.”

“Do you know why I invited you and the others from the Zhongnan Sect here?”

“Yes. Of course I do.”

There were two reasons.

First, to become acquainted with Prince Shangshan, the City Lord of Shanxi and a member of the imperial family, and receive his approval for their new business venture.

Second, to put Hong Jin’s political rival, Li Feng, firmly in his place.

“But as you know, I’ve been rather busy lately. I was so distracted that I forgot to tell His Highness that other guests would be coming.”

“I see.”

The nasal quality had vanished from Hong Jin’s voice, leaving it completely dry. Gong Ilhyuk asked anxiously,

“But why are you suddenly bringing that up…?”

“I’d like you to leave for today.”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t the presence of uninvited guests put His Highness in a bad mood?”

It was an unmistakable order to leave. And on top of that, Hong Jin had called them uninvited guests.

Gong Ilhyuk protested.

“Uninvited guests? Deputy Military Commissioner, what exactly do you mean?”

“Oh my, must I say it twice? I mean exactly what I said. I failed to tell His Highness you were coming.”

Hong Jin was originally a palace attendant. He had remained at Prince Shangshan’s side since the prince was an infant, and thanks to that, he had risen to the post of Deputy Military Commissioner, becoming the power behind the Shanxi Provincial Office and the second-ranking figure in the military.

The young prince favored him above all others. And yet he was sending guests away merely because he had failed to mention them in advance?

“I, I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Deputy Military Commissioner…”

Hong Jin smiled sweetly at the flustered Gong Ilhyuk.

“Great Hero Gong.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t think you were like this, but you’re a little slow, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

“Or are you simply bad at taking a hint?”

The sudden verbal abuse plunged the hall into silence. Gong Ilhyuk and the other two members of the Three Hands of Zhongnan clenched their trembling fists.

“You go too far.”

“Oh my, if that’s how it felt, then you understood my intentions perfectly. I did go a little too far on purpose.”

“Deputy Military Commissioner!”

“Lower your voice. This is the grand hall.”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this? Are you disappointed in me because of what just happened?”

“I said lower your voice. And I’m not disappointed in you, Great Hero Gong. We aren’t friends. We’re hardly close enough to expect anything from each other, much less be disappointed.”

“That… have you forgotten your agreement with our Zhongnan Sect?”

“Agreement? Oh, the one about opening a route into Shanxi Province?”

Hong Jin gave a short laugh and continued.

“That’s how business works. Until a deal is finalized, it can fall apart at any moment. Surely you didn’t think a few words meant everything was settled when His Highness hasn’t even given his approval yet?”

Gong Ilhyuk barely managed to suppress his rising anger.

He had already boasted to his sect as though the deal were complete.

If the venture succeeded, he would receive a commensurate reward. If it failed, however, he would not escape a reprimand. He had no choice but to coax the eunuch standing before him.

“If this venture succeeds, wouldn’t it benefit you as well, Deputy Military Commissioner? The Zhongnan Sect never forgets gratitude or grudges.”

Adding grudges to gratitude was a veiled threat—a warning that Hong Jin might make an enemy of one of the Nine Sects and One Gang.

Hong Jin had served as a palace attendant since childhood and witnessed all manner of political intrigue. There was no chance he had missed the hidden meaning behind Gong Ilhyuk’s words.

Tsk. This is why martial artists are the way they are.

Hong Jin clicked his tongue inwardly.

Every word and action was clumsy and blatant.

Compared to a half-polished man like Gong Ilhyuk, Li Feng—taciturn, stubborn, and every inch a martial artist—was a far more troublesome opponent.

He doesn’t even realize who holds the upper hand right now.

If he had a goal he wanted to achieve, even crawling on the ground would hardly have been enough. And yet he had added a threat on top of everything else.

That settled Hong Jin’s decision.

“Great Hero Gong, I’m such a delicate person. Words like that frighten me too much to keep working with you.”

“Ah, if there was any room for misunderstanding…”

Gong Ilhyuk was about to apologize as though he had no idea what Hong Jin meant when Jin Taekyung, who had been watching the two men with a bored expression, casually tossed out a remark.

“Room for misunderstanding, my ass. Not even a passing dog would believe that.”

“You, you…!”

“Hey, Seniors of the Zhongnan Sect. I don’t know what kind of incredible business you’re running, but couldn’t you discuss it somewhere else later? I’m already miserable enough about the table being overturned.”

Hong Jin let out a quiet laugh at the sight of Taekyung licking his lips while looking at the food scattered across the floor.

“Don’t worry. Once these gentlemen leave, I’ll have fresh food brought in. Isn’t that right?”

Now Hong Jin was practically shoving them out the door.

Gong Ilhyuk gritted his teeth.

“Deputy Military Commissioner, I admit my judgment is terrible. But please think carefully about what you stand to gain and lose from today’s events.”

“You seem to be mistaken. I reached this decision after thoroughly weighing the practical benefits.”

“What does that mean…?”

“We’ll continue with the project. We’ll build a dedicated trade route and trading post connecting Shaanxi and Shanxi, and we’ll expand the scale as well.”

“Then that’s all the more reason to join hands with our sect!”

Hong Jin’s eyes widened at the desperate shout.

“Is the Zhongnan Sect the only sect in Shaanxi? As far as I know, there’s a place far older than the Zhongnan Sect—and one with a much better reputation among the public.”

“…Are you talking about Huashan?”

Gong Ilhyuk’s face twisted.

Huashan and the Zhongnan Sect had been bitter rivals, constantly at odds, for the past several hundred years.

If this project went to Huashan instead of some other sect, Gong Ilhyuk knew he would face far more than a light reprimand.

“How could you do this to me?”

“Of course I can. There’s a better option right in front of me.”

“Our sect is by no means inferior to Huashan. In fact, I can proudly say that in this generation, we have surpassed them.”

“‘I can proudly say.’ It’s good to see such loyalty to one’s sect. But from my perspective, wouldn’t the phrase ‘acknowledged by all’ sound better?”

Hong Jin continued without missing a beat.

“Great Hero Gong, let me ask you directly. Does the Zhongnan Sect have a master like the Sword Saint?”

“…That is…”

“Then does it have a young prodigy as outstanding as that Young Hero over there?”

“……”

None of the Three Hands of Zhongnan, Gong Ilhyuk included, could easily answer.

The Sword Saint?

The Zhongnan Sect’s Sect Leader, the Wind-and-Cloud Sword Lord, was occasionally compared to the Ten Kings, but that was as far as it went.

As for a monster like Cheongpung, none of them had ever heard of such a person, much less seen one. Gong Ilhyuk in particular flushed red, having attacked first only to be brought to his knees in a single exchange.

“B-but our sect has no fewer Peak masters than Huashan.”

“I’ve heard that the strength of a Murim sect doesn’t depend on how many masters it has, but on what kind of masters it possesses.”

Hong Jin’s remark struck the heart of the matter, leaving Gong Ilhyuk momentarily speechless.

But no matter what it took, he had to prevent Huashan from taking their place.

“Furthermore, every venture we’ve undertaken with the government has been completed successfully. Huashan, on the other hand, has no experience with this sort of project. They’re bound to be clumsy and make mistakes.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

Hong Jin smiled and turned toward someone.

“Assistant Commissioner Li, what do you think?”

Li Feng, who had watched everything in silence, answered.

“That is true. Huashan does tend to draw a firm line between the government and Murim.”

Hong Jin frowned, and color returned to Gong Ilhyuk’s face.

But Li Feng’s heavy voice continued.

“However, doesn’t everyone have a first time?”

“Li Feng, you bastard!”

Hong Jin burst out laughing.

“Our Assistant Commissioner Li has truly come a long way.”

“Thanks to you.”

The two men had exchanged almost exactly the same words only a quarter of an hour earlier, but the atmosphere was now the exact opposite.

They continued their conversation in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

“I’d like you to act as our intermediary, Assistant Commissioner Li. What do you think?”

“Of course. I’ll send a messenger pigeon to my Master. The Sect Leader will be pleased to hear this news as well.”

“Ah, and you should also tell him that we have an honored guest here.”

Li Feng followed Hong Jin’s meaningful glance and smiled faintly.

“That is news our Grandmaster will be pleased to hear.”

“It’s a good start.”

“I think so too.”

Completely excluded from the conversation, Gong Ilhyuk trembled from head to toe.

Things had already gone too far to turn back. He swept a gaze filled with fury and betrayal across the room.

“How dare you look down on the Great Zhongnan Sect.”

“Hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say.”

The voice belonged to Jin Taekyung, who had suddenly cut into the conversation. He gave a short laugh and continued.

“We’re not looking down on the Zhongnan Sect. We’re looking down on you. You might not know this, but I’m a huge fan of the Zhongnan Sect. The Reign… Anyway, I faithfully kept up with it through volume thirty-four.”

“What kind of bullshit are you spouting? A family without even a proper pedigree like the Jin Family of Taiyuan has no place butting in!”

Taekyung put on a wounded expression and poked Cheongpung in the side.

“Young Master Cheongpung, that old man says our family doesn’t even have a family tree.”

“What? He said that to my Benefactor?”

“Yeah. I know he’s a Senior, but isn’t that going too far? I’m too scared of the Nine Sects and One Gang to answer him myself, so could you say something for me?”

“M-me? I’m not very good at things like that.”

“Am I not your Benefactor? Was I only your Benefactor in name?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then say what I tell you.”

After Taekyung finished whispering something to him, Cheongpung hesitantly opened his mouth.

“G-get… get…”

“Young Master Cheongpung, louder! You can do it!”

Buoyed by Taekyung’s encouragement, Cheongpung squeezed his eyes shut and shouted,

“Get lost, you boomer bastards!”

“……!”

“……!”

Boomer? They didn’t know exactly what it meant, but that wasn’t important. It had been followed by the word bastards.

“You goddamn…!”

All three men, Gong Ilhyuk included, glared with their eyes wide open.

Who were they?

They were disciples of the Zhongnan Sect’s headquarters. They were accustomed to the admiring gazes of others, and this was a humiliation they could never wash away.

But…

Gong Ilhyuk ground his teeth. “Let’s go!”

Swallowing his outrage, he turned away. Neither the opponent nor the place was suitable for repaying this humiliation.

I’ll make them pay for this someday. I swear it!

Blood dripped from the fist he clenched so hard it seemed it would crush.

He stormed out of the grand hall, his footsteps heavy and violent.

Behind him came the voices of Jin Taekyung and Cheongpung.

“Wow, you’re good at swearing. Was that your first time too?”

“Yes! I’ve never sworn before!”

“For a first attempt, you’ve got some real talent. You should learn a lot from me from now on. As you go through life, there are plenty of times you’ll need to use them even if you don’t want to.”

“Yes!”