The Righteous Dragon (2)
'Fuck, that's scary as hell!!'
I never thought he'd swing for the kill the moment I crossed the line. From now on, whatever my brother says, I'll obey without question—that was my desperate vow in this instant. At the same time, he looked cooler than ever.
'Damn it, that spot should've been mine!'
Glancing absentmindedly at Mother, Gu Cheon-gi worried she might be shocked by the sight of his lethal strike.
"Well done, my eldest! You can endure anything else, but insulting your mother? That's unforgivable!"
"……?"
It wasn't wrong, exactly. Repaying those who curse your parents was only natural as a child. But was there any need to cheer so enthusiastically? Mom, he's a butcher!
Gu Cheon-woo made them pay for staining the inn with blood. Regardless of their intentions, the damage to the inn was real. He thoroughly searched the Bald Head Three Ghosts' belongings, paid out whatever came up, and covered any shortfall himself.
'Brother, why are you so good at this!'
'Young master, when did you learn to rob bandits?'
He didn't scorn the money just because it came from villains. What mattered was how it was used, not whose it was.
The bodies were buried deep in a spot far from the inn. Handling the corpses was the most critical part of restoring the place. Neglecting it could bring the inn serious trouble later.
'Is brother an undertaker?'
'That's no amateur work.'
After sealing them to prevent rot, stench, or maggots, he called the innkeeper over.
"I apologize for disrupting your business."
"No problem at all. Don't worry about it!"
"If anyone asks, tell the truth."
"Of course!"
Gu Cheon-woo placed great weight on postmortem matters. Even as the Paewang, he'd enforced strict protocols to avoid scandals. The goal of Mireok Paedo was a peaceful world for all under heaven. To that end, he'd established dedicated organizations under Paewang Castle for cleanup.
'To think there's a martial artist like this!'
The innkeeper, Wang Soppal, couldn't help but be moved. When the fight broke out in his dining hall, he'd sighed inwardly, bracing for the usual mess. Not just the unorthodox or black path— even self-proclaimed righteous wanderers were all the same. Throw some money their way, and they'd assume you'd handle the rest. Cleaning the bloodstains from the floor was no small task itself. Who could eat comfortably over lingering blood?
Few warriors handled the aftermath so perfectly. Hell, getting paid at all would be lucky. It was a stark reminder of how harsh and heartless the world could be, even for something that should be basic decency.
Gu Cheon-woo turned to Gu Cheon-gi and Ga-bok.
"Clean it spotless."
"Leave it to me, young master!"
"Brother, why me?"
Gu Cheon-gi and Ga-bok scrubbed the inn's floors until no blood scent lingered—over and over. This damn blood wouldn't come off easily. The wood had soaked it up like a sponge.
'I'll never fight in an inn again!'
'Open fields only!!'
Who knew it'd be this much hassle!!
They spent the night at the inn and departed at dawn. Though the Bald Head Three Ghosts were dead, the place looked business as usual. But with witnesses, rumors would spread by word of mouth.
'The Bald Head Three Ghosts dying so pathetically!'
'They were careless, but no pushovers.'
Perhaps because their end was so anticlimactic, no one could believe the eldest young master had slain them. The Red-White Twin Heroes might outshine them in fame, but in real combat, the Ghosts were different. Their butcher ways, heedless of means, terrified even Peak Experts. Especially their suicidal joint assault, infamous for its tenacity.
'Maybe a Divine Dragon will emerge from our company.'
The deputy leader of the escorts now realized the eldest young master's skills surpassed his expectations. The Ghosts weren't that careless to fall to a single punch and strike. Yet they had.
'And the follow-up was flawless.'
It made the deputy and his men bow their heads in shame. They'd thought victory was enough—never considering the tedious aftermath. Reflecting on the young master's handling only deepened their embarrassment over past actions.
'We've been too self-centered.'
Unless unavoidable, they shouldn't burden others. People feared warriors not just for danger, but their irresponsibility in dumping messes.
'Heh, looks like they're finally getting it.'
The acting manager viewed the escorts' change positively. Warriors demanding blanket indulgence was wrong. At minimum, they needed to empathize with others' hardships—a basic human quality, not just martial.
'The more I see, the more impressive.'
The acting manager was drawn less to the young master's prowess than his meticulous cleanup. At that age, with such skill, boasting everywhere would be normal. Yet he'd stayed low-key, revealing only when needed, and handled even overlooked details perfectly. His worldly savvy was astonishing.
'Criminals can't comprehend geniuses, indeed.'
Such finesse couldn't be learned from books or words—it stemmed from seasoned experience. Lately, gauging the young master's age felt pointless; he defied it. Look at him now.
'As if nothing happened.'
He was utterly calm. It felt so natural it was shocking. Slaying notorious villains should bring some pride, yet he remained serene—as if yesterday, today, and tomorrow were one. Reassuring. With such a man leading, the company lacked for nothing.
But! Could they truly embrace a Paewang whole? The lord of Mireok Paedo might overwhelm them, belly bursting.
'Good fortune for the second and third young masters, and Ga-bok?'
Bustling from early morn, they'd grasped the early bird gets the worm. But whether they were birds or bait was unclear. Earth Dragon gets caught first, after all.
'Feels like Earth Dragon.'
The acting manager dismissed it as fancy. No need for every son in a mid-tier company to excel. The second and third pursuing dreams wasn't bad. Hop! Hooray! Whatever their dreams were.
Their morning leaps and cheers left everyone averting eyes. Like spotlights following them—embarrassment the company's burden? Even the acting manager, as operations head, turned away; he was human too.
'Embarrassment fades fast.'
'Not scared at all!'
Unlike seasoned Ga-bok, Gu Cheon-gi still fumbled. Remote mountain paths were small mercy. Doing this on main roads? Recognition would doom futures.
The outer clamor contrasted sharply with the carriage's quiet.
Gu Cheon-woo passed on part of the essence of Yeoui Paedo-gyeol, his great-granduncle's creation, to his mother. The unintended great-granduncle disapproved, but it wasn't trivial. In raw power, it dwarfed Yeoui Seon-gyeol, pursuing overwhelming force.
"Any imbalance, and it might warp into Paedo-gyeol without realizing!"
"Overcome it, and Mother can forge her own Yeoui Seon-gyeol."
"But replaying the formula feels off. Like a Gu Clan warrior made it."
"Not wrong."
"You've met your great-granduncle!"
"You could say that."
Suspicion dawned when her son suddenly claimed he could find Grandpa. Perhaps during her brief absence, Grandpa taught him martial arts. It somewhat explained the mystery.
'That damn geezer taught my son Paedo-gyeol!'
Jeok I-ryeong swallowed curses for maternal dignity. Why? Grandpa had hounded her, scorning Father's lacking talent.
—No imbalance! Maintain balance in all situations. That's Yeoui Seon-gyeol's essence!
Ridiculous. He'd locked her in caves for days over tiny lapses, forcing wall-gazing meditation. "Meditation," my ass—that childhood nightmare lingered forever. Yet he embraced Paedo. Knowing her son's foundation was Paedo, she couldn't forgive the geezer. Next meeting, he'd pay for meddling. In her beautiful granddaughter's name, no mercy.
"Impossible."
"Son, I'm Hwagyeong."
"Great-granduncle's reached Hwagyeong's peak. Absolute Realm soon."
"……What?!"
That geezer fled for ascension, now eyeing Absolute Realm? Claiming he'd ascend first from the hearth, it stung. Caught off-guard? Enraging to imagine.
"Son, can Mom reach Absolute too?"
"Yes."
"Mom trusts only you."
"Mother's talent surpasses great-granduncle's. Have confidence."
"Obviously."
For great-granduncle, meditating solely for ascension, mother-son bonding was infuriating. His lifelong Yeoui Seon-gyeol teetered. Foreknowledge might induce qi deviation.
'Paedo-gyeol suits him better than Yeoui Seon-gyeol.'
Yeoui Seon-gyeol ill-fit him. Forcing suitable garb was right if he refused.
"But son! Those baldies—okay to kill without checking?"
"They're mere hired killers. Unlikely to yield useful testimony."
Not like specialist assassin valleys—Bisa, Cheonsal, Hyolsal—but paid hitmen abounded in murim. Contrary to looks, the Ghosts were sly. Framing as righteous duel kept them off wanted lists.
They took commissions via Nangcheon, rogue collective. Verifying individual requests impossible now. Unless razing Nangcheon under Mireok Paedo banner.
"Can't be helped, but keep this up, trouble brews?"
"Kill all who come."
Too brutal for mother-son chat. No hesitation in slaying.
"Killing alone doesn't solve it."
"Lessers panic if things veer off-script. They'll slip soon. Grab the tail then."
"Son, so seasoned. Like a veteran."
Mireok Paedo eradicated evil's roots. Blind killing lacked efficiency. Combating evil required understanding it. Gu Cheon-woo pursued Paedo intelligently, endlessly devising maximal methods. He knew evil best.
For instance, dissecting villains' arts fully to find counters. Ghosts' pathetic end? Paedo infused with counters.
Intended or not, his Paedo countered villain arts perfectly.