The Heir of the Black Iron Sword Sect
The once-lively Inhwaru fell deathly silent once more.
Those descending the stairs stared at Kang Liang in shock.
The Guicheol Sword Sect.
Before its destruction, it had been one of the few true sects praised as the greatest sword sect in the Dark Faction. Its reputation rivaled even the Nine Great Sects of the Orthodox Faction. Moreover, the swordsmen of the Guicheol Sword Sect were known for their bold and resolute nature, earning them boundless respect among the Dark Faction.
And now, the young lord of that very sect had appeared in Inhwaru.
What shocked them even more was that Jeon Hong had just called Kang Liang the descendant of a rebellious sect.
Jeon Hong, disciple of Yang Cheon—the lord of the current Dark Alliance and one of the Holy Thirteen Seats.
Kang Liang, the rising star from the ruined greatest sect of the Dark Faction.
Whoosh!
The murderous atmosphere transformed into crushing pressure that weighed down the entire tavern.
Amid that overwhelming presence, Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue. ‘He won’t let this slide.’
Before coming here, Kang Liang had said he had only visited Inhwaru a handful of times and had never revealed his identity. After all, he had spent most of his teenage years in seclusion and sword training. Even in the information-rich Dark Faction, few people knew Kang Liang’s face.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
He had intended to meet Yang Cheon anyway. No matter how things entangled, it wouldn’t make much difference.
Still, one thing concerned him. ‘How Yang Cheon views his disciple—that’s what I need to watch.’
Yeon Hojeong’s gaze swept over Jeon Hong’s eyes and temperament once more.
He reached an instant conclusion. ‘Even the current Yang Cheon wouldn’t be particularly fond of this one.’
Yang Cheon was no ally. He was clearly an enemy, though not quite a sworn rival or mortal foe.
Yet Yeon Hojeong understood Yang Cheon to a degree. And Yang Cheon likely understood Yeon Hojeong in return.
‘He gave instruction but never affection.’
Yeon Hojeong shook his head inwardly.
Thinking back, when the Myeolsa Army had faced its first real battle, there had been a madman who was once Yang Cheon’s disciple. Everyone had called him Yang Cheon’s disciple, yet that madman was older than Bu Seon. If he had truly been the first disciple, Yang Cheon would never have let it pass.
‘He takes in countless disciples, but discards those who break as if they were never his.’
A fitting attitude for the supreme leader of the Dark Faction, where only the strong survive.
‘Whatever the case, this won’t end peacefully.’
Just then, Jeon Hong spoke.
“Hey, tavern master.”
“Y-yes?!”
“That bastard’s eyes look pretty vicious. I don’t think I can just let this go. The Black Dragon Department will cover the cost of the damages, so don’t worry too much.”
The Inhwaru master’s face turned pale.
That was the end of it. Jeon Hong no longer looked at or spoke to the tavern master.
Jeon Hong addressed Kang Liang.
“I was just thinking I needed to buy a gift for my master. This is perfect timing. How about it? If you come quietly, your head might stay attached a little longer.”
Kang Liang gave a cold laugh.
“Even a rotten fish is still a fish. As a disciple of Yang Cheon, I can’t just send you off nicely. Tell me—can you use chopsticks with your left hand? I was thinking of cutting off your right arm cleanly.”
Jeon Hong’s face, once filled with mockery, hardened instantly.
It wasn’t just him. Everyone who heard Kang Liang’s voice turned ashen.
“……”
A strange silence settled over the area.
Jeon Hong spoke again.
“Tavern master.”
“……Yes?”
“Clear everyone out and lock the doors.”
The Inhwaru master hesitated.
Jeon Hong’s intent was clear—he planned to beat Kang Liang half to death right here.
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong opened his mouth.
“Liang.”
Kang Liang answered without taking his eyes off Jeon Hong.
“Yes, brother.”
“A few stairs and one wall should be well within my current funds.”
It was an abrupt statement.
But this time, even Kang Liang understood Yeon Hojeong’s meaning immediately. A cold smile appeared on his face.
“You’re the only one, brother.”
“I’m pretty reliable, aren’t I?”
“Please take care of the small fry.”
Yeon Hojeong gave Kang Liang’s back a light pat.
“Go.”
In that instant—
Bang!
Kang Liang shot forward like lightning and grabbed Jeon Hong by the collar.
It happened so fast that even Jeon Hong’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Kang Liang’s feet erupted with force.
Crack-crack-crack!
Six steps shattered at once, unable to withstand his explosive charge.
That wasn’t the end. Still gripping Jeon Hong’s collar, Kang Liang charged up to the fourth floor and slammed him straight into the wall by the window.
BOOM!
The fourth-floor wall exploded outward as both men flew out of Inhwaru.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye. Everyone stared up at the fourth floor in shock.
“Third Young Master!”
“Damn it!”
The thirty guards were about to rush down the stairs when—
Shing.
Yeon Hojeong, who had somehow already descended to the third floor, stood looking up at them with the Black Dragon Axe in hand.
His speed was terrifying. None of them had even seen when or how he had moved.
Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“This is a place of business. I don’t want to turn it into a bloodbath, so don’t go outside.”
The lead guard, Yang Il, spat out a curse.
“You crazy bastard! Are you begging to die?!”
Yeon Hojeong regarded Yang Il with calm eyes.
Yang Il, who had been about to curse again and swing his fist, suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Thud!
Yang Il collapsed onto the stairs without realizing it. His legs had given out completely.
“C-Commander?!”
“Are you all right?”
Yang Il couldn’t even answer his worried subordinates.
His body trembled as he looked up at Yeon Hojeong with shaking eyes.
Yeon Hojeong’s gaze remained clear and deep. Yet within it, Yang Il saw an unimaginable killing intent.
A monstrous being stood there—one they couldn’t even scratch.
“Shall we all just die here?”
“……!!”
“If we fight outside, you’ll only suffer for a few months. But if we fight here, you’ll all be chopped to pieces and die.”
He spoke in a calm tone, without releasing any aura or even killing intent.
That made the words all the more terrifying. It revealed the absolute confidence that he could carry out such a massacre with ease.
Yang Il’s body was drenched in cold sweat. ‘He’s a master! An incredibly powerful one!’
Just then, the other guards shouted.
“That lunatic is spouting nonsense!”
“Kill him!”
At that moment—
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A woman flipped over the ceiling of the stairs and landed below, accompanied by a chilling impact sound.
It was Jeong-an. A sword now rested in her hand—still sheathed in its ornate scabbard.
Whoosh.
The moment Jeong-an stood beside Yeon Hojeong, five guards who had been charging toward him collapsed on the spot, all unconscious.
Yeon Hojeong glanced at Jeong-an.
“Nice technique.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Your control is excellent. Back in Guangdong you seemed quite flustered.”
“This time, I didn’t want to subdue them halfway.”
Yeon Hojeong chuckled and turned back to Yang Il.
Yang Il had already raised one hand, stopping his subordinates.
Yeon Hojeong turned around.
“Follow me outside. Ah, and tavern master.”
Yeon Hojeong pulled out a gold pouch from his robe and handed it to the Inhwaru master.
The tavern master accepted it with a dazed expression.
“There should be more than enough. Use it to repair the stairs and wall.”
“Ah…… Th-thank you.”
The Inhwaru master replied without thinking.
After watching the tavern master for a moment, Yeon Hojeong added one more thing.
“And tavern master.”
“Yes?”
“I understand you were afraid of being harmed, but perhaps you should reconsider your business policy. If you keep doing things this way, customers will stop coming altogether.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“This is Inhwaru, not the Black Dragon Tavern, isn’t it?”
The Inhwaru master’s eyes trembled.
In that moment, his father’s voice echoed in his mind—the voice of the man who had said he would hand over the business years ago but stayed five more years before finally returning to his hometown.
‘Bowing your head can become a habit. Your life? It’s not that important. But a merchant is still a person. If you keep kneeling out of fear of harm, you’ll eventually face ruin. And before that ruin comes, your self-respect as a human being will hit rock bottom.’
‘If you can’t endure, then quit the business. If you can endure, don’t accept requests that go beyond common sense. If a situation arises where you might lose your life because of your own misjudgment, that’s when you kneel. That’s never something to be ashamed of.’
‘Remember this: a merchant’s weapon isn’t a blade, but discernment and decisiveness. Do whatever it takes to survive, but never destroy your own character and conscience.’
The Inhwaru master stared blankly at Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong spoke to Jeong-an.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The two headed toward the second-floor stairs.
Just then—
“You bastard!”
Whoosh!
One of the guards leaped through the air and swung a dagger toward Yeon Hojeong’s crown.
It was a sharp surprise attack. Even after witnessing Yeon Hojeong and Jeong-an’s skills, he had still attempted it. At the very least, his boldness deserved recognition.
Of course, the consequences of his choice were entirely his own.
Thud!
With a brutal sound, the guard spun in midair before crashing to the floor.
The guard sprawled on the ground had a grotesquely caved-in face. The Black Dragon Axe’s handle had smashed his cheekbone all the way to his skull.
Drip……
Red blood soaked the tavern floor.
Yeon Hojeong looked down at him with cold eyes before turning his gaze to Yang Il.
Yang Il cried out involuntarily.
“I-I didn’t order this!”
“Clean it up.”
“……What?”
“Wipe up the blood and take the body outside. We can’t make the tavern master do it, can we?”
“……?!”
“Are you going to move, or should I make all of you look the same? Though, I must say—you all look quite handsome now, don’t you think?”
Yang Il jumped to his feet and ordered his subordinates to carry the body while frantically wiping away the blood.
Through this single exchange, they had come to a bone-deep realization: these were terrifying masters who could treat them as “worthless” without it seeming strange at all.
Strong before the weak, weak before the strong.
Though the world ran on the law of the jungle, the behavior these men displayed was truly laughable. If they served under Yang Cheon’s disciple, they should never have shown such a pathetic sight before others.
‘They’re not from the Black Dragon Department.’
Black Dragon Department warriors would never behave this way. These were likely subordinates Jeon Hong had gathered from elsewhere.
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue without realizing it.
“At this rate, we might end up giving Deputy Lord Yang a nice little gift.”
Kang Liang wouldn’t kill Jeon Hong. He had at least that much sense.
In the end, they were doing Yang Cheon a favor. This incident would let him clearly see his disciple’s shortcomings and discard him if needed—or properly guide him if Jeon Hong changed for the better.
Yeon Hojeong shouted in an irritated voice.
“Hurry up and clean, you lot!”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
“Hmm?”
Yang Cheon furrowed his brow.
Baek Seo asked with a puzzled expression.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No. My ears suddenly started itching.”
“Ah, I see.”
Yang Cheon roughly scratched his ear and muttered with a displeased face.
“Is it going to rain? My mood’s been terrible all of a sudden.”