Headwind (2)
“Reverse the backward-flowing qi into its proper course.”
“I thought it was a demonic art!!”
“Your voice is loud.”
“……I believed in you, of course!”
As Ga-bok said, the Pacheon Gong was close to a demonic art. It shattered the meridians and rebuilt them through recovery, controlling and amplifying inner energy circulation. This was a refined version of the Cheonju Paecheon Singong, the foundation of the Paewang Gong.
It was a preparatory stage before cultivating the Paewang Gong, and once mastered, it allowed adaptation to any form of energy flow.
No need to waste time.
Gu Cheon-woo was the type to see things through to the end once started. He only stopped midway if his soul slipped out. Even so, for blood kin, he put heart into the training.
“One for Mireok, two for Paedo. One.”
“Mireok.”
“Two.”
“Paedo.”
Gu Cheon-woo infused the Pacheon Gong with Mireok Paedo. The Mireok Paedo was a conviction to eradicate evil—the more one denied it, the stronger the heart demons came, leading to vomiting blood from the seven apertures. It was not human goodness, but trained justice.
One could not complete Mireok Paedo by relying on instinct's frailty.
Even if not me, someone has to do it someday.
Hadn't he experienced malice targeting the merchant group? Even if he tried not to interfere, he couldn't guarantee others would leave him be.
Not a bad thing.
Of course, Ga-bok was the first. As a ready-made vessel for Mireok Paedo, how far he could go was uncharted territory. Gu Cheon-woo planned to observe Ga-bok's changes closely and teach them to Gu Cheon-su and Gu Cheon-ye.
“Brother, do I have to do that too?”
“Not yet.”
That means eventually!
Gu Cheon-su was struggling even now. But more humiliating than the hardship was the appearance. A scholar's foundation was dignity, not discipline. Even the leaping eternal life pose didn't look good, yet he had to bounce with hands and shout "manse" with feet.
Damaged dignity was hard to restore. It could even shake the solid image he'd built up.
It seems effective, though……
He'd seen Ga-bok's dazzling growth, and the Jeokgeum escort members peeking confirmed it. The training's results were undeniable.
Still, he couldn't adapt to this pose. It grew more grotesque, threatening to ruin his face. As a merchant, without his trained iron mask, it would have been dangerous.
It's not something you can just imitate.
Gu Cheon-woo ignored the deputy leader and escorts watching. The leaping eternal life without breath control was mere physical training. Moreover, he imprinted it bodily without oral formulas. Even if Gu Cheon-su and Ga-bok wanted to teach, they couldn't.
Plus, the Pacheon Gong's destructiveness meant poor instruction could lead to heart demons and ruin.
“Have you decided your path after passing the palace exam?”
“……Brother, I haven't even taken the preliminary exam yet!”
His mind was blank on exams now. Yet his brother saw him as a top scorer already. The trust was touching, but maddening.
“I'll settle for Prime Minister.”
“Brother, even Grand Councilor would be the family's glory.”
“Isn't that still just number one?”
“……?”
A staggering statement had just passed. Strictly, it bordered on treason. Strangely, his brother's attitude felt natural, like the proper order.
No.
Snapping out of it, Gu Cheon-su shook his head. Normalizing sedition? Chills ran down his spine.
“Brother, don't even utter such terrifying words! One slip, and the whole clan perishes!”
“A man needs such ambition.”
Overkill for a great man's ambition, but utterly natural to Gu Cheon-woo. In his Paewang days, no one stood above. Even emperors were beneath his feet. Rumors said the current emperor was Paewang-made.
“The current emperor is old, and among remaining royals, the Fourth Prince appeals. Befriend him after passing; it'll be fine.”
“……I'll engrave your words deeply!”
Anyone overhearing would think the emperor lived next door, chummy with his sons. In truth, the imperial house later faced great woe, and the Fourth became a sage king. A minor puppet stigma aside, no issue.
As loyal subjects, they could topple a tyrant. He rebelled against emperors he disliked, ignoring and overturning them. Dare an emperor belittle the people?
The Fourth Prince was so obedient.
When Paewang visited the palace, the emperor bolted up from sleep, rushing out in undergarments. Gu Cheon-woo acknowledged that diligence. Emperors must know humility.
Another gaze watched his training: the outer manager and deputy steward.
They'd handled branch affairs and scouted merchant trends. Distribution and sales proceeded smoothly. The main goods brought this time were far superior in quality.
The young master's training was inner quarters' secret, known only to insiders. Even if leaked, it seemed more eccentricity than cultivation. Martial arts varied, but most followed orthodoxy. Eccentric methods rarely passed as proper.
Too fast is a problem too.
Not demonic, right?
Demonic arts progressed faster than orthodox, but rejection stemmed from losing humanity. Not all became demons, but most failed to conquer demonic nature. Some went mad from qi deviation, rampaging.
The young master isn't reckless.
Still, too complacent.
Hwajeong Merchant Group's attack was near-certain. Even prepared, this leisure was excessive. The "backroom young master" moniker persisted even at branches.
Anyway, they must trust him over rumors. Severing the Vajra Seven with sword formula was incidental.
“I wonder if the Group Leader will be safe.”
“Oh? You think highly of my wife.”
“Outer Manager, are you trying to kill me?”
“Don't distort my sister-in-law, the heavenly fairy's moonlit grace.”
“……Your wisdom in life is astounding!”
One must beware trusted axes. Betrayal comes from the close. The outer manager's veteran caution shone—never careless, avoiding weakness-exposing words. That underpinned his long tenure.
Damn, slip-up!
Deputy steward, still green.
Still, curious about the young master's hidden cards. Knowing Red-White Twins' crimes, official proof was hard. Investigations only drew tongues at their thoroughness. Toppling their hero fame needed ironclad evidence.
“Just in case, but you're prepared, right?”
“Would such a man idle? You seem sharp, yet sloppy at times.”
“My folly. Haha!”
“We just trust the nephew.”
Thus, deciding more investigators. Not distrust or anxiety—just merchant thoroughness.
If real, we're done.
No way.
-The eldest nephew has become an Absolute Realm master.
-Sounds false, but he sliced the Vajra Seven evenly with a finger. Deputy steward guarantees.
-Nephew beheaded the Red-White Twins' heads.
-Broke Hwajeong's young punk's legs, shattered guards' dantians.
The Red-White bastard had his own portrait beside. Separate letter shows vomit-worthy deeds befitting the name.
Hmm.
Misread due to small text? His eyes were good for his age, yet comprehension faded with each line. Damn!
“How on earth should I read this to make some sense?”
Gu Seo-jin puzzled over the afternoon missive till evening. Accepting at face value, the words were the issue. Postscript bore outer manager's seal and group code. Special matters used internal ciphers.
Absolute Realm? Had the term's meaning shifted with eras?
Current era's Absolute masters: Three Thousand, Five Absolutes, Sixteen Stars. Below, Hundred Masters; finer, Five Hundred could claim fame, if not a Star.
Absolute required top Hundred. Problem: his kids, eldest just 18.
At 18, a new star. Dragons and phoenixes numbered scant two dozen max, secret weapons included not even a hundred.
New stars started at Peak Expert minimum—elder level for most sects. Great sects rarely held dozens.
Merchants didn't grasp all rivalries or hidden masters, but this was common knowledge.
“My son an Absolute?”
How often did under-thirty become Absolute? Even then, perceptions demanded rejuvenation or return-from-dead.
Gu Seo-jin shared common sense.
If true, Hwajeong's venom exceeded expectations. Rivals checked, but this crossed lines. Understanding faltered here.
Nephew beheaded Peak Expert Red-White Twins? Broke Hwajeong heir's legs, crippled escorts' dantians.
Red-White had self-portrait—attached letter showed vile acts.
If true, they were the bastards.
“Beheading Peak Red-White means my son is at least Peak too.”
Possible? Absolute had arm-not-bend exaggeration, but witnesses made beheading fact. Son minimum Peak.
Even harder to believe—his son, confined to the backroom. Fortuitous encounters are meant to be found out in the world. Fortune within a backroom? That was something he’d never heard of.
Cliff fall more convincing.
Fortune in my house?
Repaired estate? No. Ancestors bought land, built new. No fortune reason.
Then wife?
Plausible. Wife higher master than known, or maternal Absolute kin. Convincing, but one life—no probing secrets.
Oh, sneaky pumpkin seeds behind my back! Teasing me all along!!
Gu Seo-jin stuck out tongue at wife's scheme. Outwardly forbade martial teaching, secretly did. Now it clicked—son's bold trip reason.