Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: The Weight of Absence
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Cheon Clan’s Grand Hall.
Within it lay a somewhat special garden.
It was a place covered in lush bamboo, without a single one of the common flowers found in ordinary gardens.
And at the center of that garden stood a gazebo for resting, where a middle-aged man sat on the wooden floor.
He took a slow sip.
Gazing at the garden, he savored his tea.
The hand gripping the teacup was incredibly rough and sturdy.
Moreover, even a stranger could tell from that stern face that he was a cold-blooded man from whom not a drop of blood would spill if stabbed.
Cheon Jungak, patriarch of the Cheon Clan, slowly set down his teacup as he stared ahead with impassive eyes.
Then he spoke toward the presence he felt nearby.
“What is it.”
A man with a beard so long it seemed to drag on the ground emerged from the vicinity.
Cheon Mil, the Cheon Clan’s total steward and Dark Flame Demon Hand, bowed respectfully.
“Patriarch. I have a report to make.”
Cheon Mil was not one to intrude upon the patriarch’s garden and disturb his rest under normal circumstances.
But the matters he needed to report were too numerous to delay any longer, and some required immediate decisions, so he had come to seek the patriarch’s wisdom.
Knowing Cheon Mil’s character well, Cheon Jungak forgave his interruption of his contemplation.
“Speak.”
“Yes. First, regarding the sects from the Two Rivers and Upper River regions petitioning to become our subordinates.”
“Which ones?”
“The Qi Dissolving Sword Sect and Dragon Demon Sword Sect.”
“……”
“From the intelligence we’ve gathered, both sects have deep histories and considerable influence, so accepting them should pose no issues. They won’t tarnish our clan’s reputation, and I assess there will be no particular problems.”
Cheon Mil listed the names of the two sword sects and his general assessment.
Cheon Jungak showed a subtle reaction to the explanation.
After a brief pause, he asked Cheon Mil,
“What is their aim?”
There was no way sects with deep histories and solid influence would suddenly petition to become subordinates without any strings attached.
His question was justified, and Cheon Mil answered promptly.
“A new sect has aggressively moved in near their territories, threatening their positions. It seems they seek our aid to rebound and to learn our sword arts in the process.”
“What conditions have they offered?”
“They’ve promised to hand over thirty percent of their pure profits.”
Thirty percent.
Cheon Jungak replied to him in a firm tone, cutting it short.
“Fifty. Demand fifty percent, and if they refuse, cut them off. If they want to borrow even a sliver of the Cheon Clan’s name on their plaques, that’s the price they pay.”
“I shall handle it as you command.”
Cheon Mil nodded at the patriarch’s order.
He then moved straight to the next item.
“The second matter concerns the marriage proposals that have come in for the eldest young lady. I’ve carefully selected the most urgent ones.”
Marriage proposals.
A flicker of interest appeared in Cheon Jungak’s pupils at Cheon Mil’s words.
He took the report Cheon Mil offered and flipped through the pages, reading off the candidates’ names one by one.
The great young master of Ghost Demon Castle.
The young pavilion master of Death Pavilion.
The valley lord of Thunder Dance Valley.
The gang leader of Black Death Blood Demon Gang…
Whoosh—
But before long, the report in his hands turned to ashes.
Cheon Jungak’s face, having incinerated the documents with the True Samadhi Flames, was etched with disappointment and irritation.
“Not a single one but puffed-up fools.”
How could there not be even one decent prospect among them?
Cheon Jungak revealed his displeasure in a chilling tone.
“Look again.”
“……Yes.”
Cheon Mil swallowed dryly at the cold atmosphere conveyed in the patriarch’s voice.
These were carefully selected from hundreds of proposals that had poured into the clan.
Each one bore a reputation that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Seven Great Demon Clans, yet even they were dismissed as mere pretenders.
Just who could possibly satisfy the patriarch?
Deep wrinkles formed around Cheon Mil’s eyes.
“Is that all?”
“There is one final matter remaining.”
Cheon Mil continued without pause.
“Recently, the Sima Clan has shown a lukewarm response to our proposal after some exchanges.”
“Lukewarm, you say.”
“Yes. They’re postponing talks and avoiding a firm answer. It seems they may be trying to stall.”
“They’ve refused, then.”
Having reached his conclusion, Cheon Jungak continued.
“Make no further contact. We never had high hopes for them anyway.”
The Sima Clan had the patriarch’s son in the cult leader’s inner circle from the start.
No matter how much they professed neutrality, they surely harbored favorable feelings toward the cult leader.
Cheon Jungak had known this when he made contact.
By making them show discomfort toward the Hyeok Clan, he could sever possibilities of direct aid and shorten their lifelines.
For the same reason, he had taken similar steps with the Yagul Clan.
‘Only the Dokgo Clan was unexpected.’
He had approached them half in earnest, but before any real talks could happen, they had thrown in with the cult leader.
He didn’t know what deal had been struck between the cult leader and the Dokgo Clan, but their stance was as firm as the Hyeok Clan’s.
‘But that changes nothing in the plan.’
With cold eyes, Cheon Jungak asked Cheon Mil,
“How goes that matter?”
“We’ve firmly halted all business related to the cult leader. We’re strangling them slowly without rushing.”
The greatest problem complicating the Cheon Clan’s current situation—the one who had stabbed him in the back.
Cult Leader Hyeok Mulin.
Cheon Jungak found it deeply uncomfortable that he still clung to the leader’s seat.
‘Instead of gratitude for placing him there, he dares betray me.’
Cheon Jungak had been wounded in both power and face by Hyeok Mulin’s betrayal.
Thus, he had schemed over time to put the man in peril and erode his position.
True to the reports, their multi-front assaults on the cult leader’s faction were proceeding smoothly.
“Yet he still hasn’t shown himself.”
“Yes. It appears the announcement of his closed-door training is genuine.”
“Understood. No compromises—continue as is.”
“As you command.”
Cheon Mil bowed his head and slowly withdrew.
Cheon Jungak gazed at the clear sky for a moment.
‘Cult Leader. The time for choice draws near.’
He had only two paths to survival.
Submit once more, or be dragged down by force.
Cheon Jungak was confident he would not lose.
Already, clans among the Seven Great Demon Clans had joined hands with him.
As Cheon Jungak sank into thought with a stern expression, someone approached him.
Snapping from his reverie, he said to her,
“What brings you here?”
“…Father.”
His daughter Cheon Seohee, whom he rarely saw amid his duties, drew near.
But her voice lacked its usual brightness.
“I’ve heard the talk.”
“What talk?”
“That you’re trying to sever the cult leader’s limbs…”
At those words, Cheon Jungak’s gaze turned icy.
“That’s right. Is there a problem?”
His eyes gleamed with a cold light implying the man had nothing to do with her anymore.
Yet Cheon Seohee did not shrink before him and spoke her mind.
“Must you go that far?”
Her question carried the sense that it was excessive.
In response, Cheon Jungak called her name in a subdued tone instead of answering.
“Seohee.”
“……Yes.”
Cheon Jungak slowly rose to his feet.
Step by step.
Walking toward the bamboo, he spoke.
“If a dog you’ve raised tries to bite you, what would you do?”
“……”
As Cheon Seohee fell silent, he continued.
“There are two answers.”
In that instant, he exuded an overwhelming pressure that made every hair on her body stand on end.
“Subjugate it with fear.”
Slash—
Before Cheon Seohee could even follow his movement, a bamboo stalk split in half and fell.
“Or kill it.”
Having sheathed the sword he had drawn in that moment, Cheon Jungak turned his icy gaze to Cheon Seohee.
“This is the attitude one who rules must possess.”
Her shoulders trembled faintly at the sight, and she slowly closed her eyes.
Her father’s presence felt like an unyielding mountain.
A night cloaked in deep darkness.
The lights of Pure Heaven Pavilion still burned brightly.
Sima Jin and Cho Sa-hyeon sat before a desk piled high with documents, engaged in close discussion as they reviewed them.
But their conversation was far from positive.
“The Myriad Li Merchant Association still hasn’t received a single commission.”
For several weeks now, commissions to the Myriad Li Merchant Association had come to a complete halt.
Investigating the abnormality, Cho Sa-hyeon had gathered related intelligence and finally uncovered the truth.
Someone was deliberately cutting off their commissions.
And that someone was the Cheon Clan.
‘The Cheon Clan is finally making their move.’
The cult leader’s greatest foe.
The enemy they would have to face someday had begun to stir.
And at a time when the cult leader was away.
Of course, they hadn’t just sat idle.
Sima Jin had created a new merchant group under the Myriad Li banner to take on commissions in its stead.
Thanks to that, they had fortunately minimized the damage.
But it was only a stopgap.
It was nearly impossible to forever prevent word from spreading that it was connected to the Myriad Li Merchant Association.
Soon, other merchant groups might face the same drought, so they needed new countermeasures.
And that wasn’t the only issue.
“I’ve passed the problems from Pleasure Quarter Street to the Dokgo Clan.”
“Good. They should verify it swiftly.”
Recently, dozens of complaints had erupted simultaneously from various inns under Pleasure Quarter Street.
The situation was far from normal, confirming someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
There had been no direct disturbances at businesses owned by the Seven Great Demon Clans.
Instead, it seemed they aimed to tarnish reputations covertly, bleed their income, and slowly strangle them.
‘If the Pleasure Quarter business collapses, the losses won’t be minor.’
It would be a massive hemorrhage for both the Yagul Clan, friendly to Hyeok Mulin, and the fully supportive Hyeok Clan.
Thus, they had closely studied solutions, and Cho Sa-hyeon ultimately decided to seek the Dokgo Clan’s aid as the cult leader had hinted previously.
Compiling all gathered intelligence, she requested they handle the complainants and uncover the culprits, and they accepted.
‘If only that were the end of it.’
The problem had erupted not outside Heavenly Demon Palace, but within.
“I heard about it. The other day on the training grounds, the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad nearly came to blows.”
“Indeed. It nearly escalated into a major conflict.”
A few days prior, on the training grounds, the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad and the Martial Spear Fierce Demon Squad had gotten into a heated argument.
According to Han Baek’s report, they had inexplicably provoked them on purpose.
‘The Cheon Clan again.’
It was common knowledge in the cult that the Martial Spear Fierce Demon Squad’s captain was aligned with the Cheon Clan.
Yes.
All these circumstances traced back to the Cheon Clan, who had shown ill will toward the cult leader from the outset.
Yet knowing this, the best they could do now was defend.
With the Cheon Clan openly revealing hostility and attacking on multiple fronts, defense was far more arduous than before.
Even so, Sima Jin devised countermeasures amid the difficulties.
“I’ll make contact with the Sky-Splitting Black Wind Squad. They’re connected to the Divine Demon Blood Death Squad and still beyond the elders’ influence.”
They continued discussing deep into the night, devising various plans.
As dawn broke and the morning sun rose, Cho Sa-hyeon was finally able to leave Pure Heaven Pavilion.
Left alone, Sima Jin placed a hand wearily over his eyes.
“Hoo…”
Exhaling a stifled breath, Sima Jin rose from his seat.
To ease his pent-up frustration even a little, he stepped outside.
Staring at the rising sun through half-lidded eyes, he murmured,
“It’s been merely two months since the cult leader departed through the Return Gate.”
Yet his absence weighs so heavily.