Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Darkness of the Cheon Family (2)
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Hongmae Pavilion.
As the *Hong* in its name suggested, this was a house of pleasure.
“So this is the place.”
Cheon Muryang had arrived.
Arriving at the door of the appointed location, Cheon Muryang sensed a subtle presence from within.
“You should know by now that I'm not one of them.”
It was at that moment.
A sword strike burst through the threshold, rushing toward Cheon Muryang.
“Right. You should have come at me like this from the start.”
The Cheon Muryang of before would never have been able to block such a strike.
But Cheon Muryang had changed.
Compared to that boundless sky, this strike was nothing more than a gust of wind.
*Clang!*
The Heavenly Light Sword struck down the attack.
Losing its direction, the strike hit the innocent ceiling and dissipated.
*Crumble.*
Dust rained down.
But Cheon Muryang's cold gaze was fixed on the man sitting inside the room.
“Who are you?”
“*Kekeke.* Well, well, I didn't expect to meet the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family here.”
He was not a member of the Cheon Family.
And that made Cheon Muryang even more furious.
“I asked who you are.”
“You'd be better off not knowing. Since you've come to Hongmae Pavilion, why not just enjoy yourself as you always do? Ah, do you need money?”
His face brightening, he tossed a pouch of money at Cheon Muryang's feet.
*Thud.*
It looked heavy even at a glance, clearly not a small sum.
“Well, if that's not enough, I'm willing to give you more.”
He wore a leisurely smile, but he knew Cheon Muryang had deflected the strike he had sent.
So, contrary to his smile,
his hand rested on his sword.
“How amusing.”
It was the most basic form of a smile hiding a dagger.
The Cheon Muryang of the past would have gladly taken the money.
“If you wanted to win me over… you should have prepared at least a hundred bars of gold.”
This was just pathetic.
Cheon Muryang kicked the money pouch lying at his feet.
*Clatter.*
Coins scattered through the air.
Watching this, the man's leisurely smile slowly faded.
“If you insist on doing this the hard way…”
“Idiot.”
“What?”
Cheon Muryang sneered at the fool who still thought he held the upper hand.
“The sword has already been swung.”
*Shhh.*
Only then did the man realize something was wrong and adopt a defensive stance, but it was too late.
“Your gaze is too high. When you face the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family, you kneel.”
At that moment.
The ceiling collapsed.
“…!”
He reacted late, unable to block all the falling debris.
“*Tch!*”
Thus, he had no choice but to charge toward Cheon Muryang in front of him.
“If you won't kneel.”
*Whoosh!*
The Heavenly Light Sword resonated.
The Heavenly Light Sword moved forward with him.
“…!”
For the sky could sometimes be a wall.
He had nowhere to go.
“I'll make you kneel.”
Cheon Muryang deflected the man's lost sword and kicked him squarely in the abdomen.
“*Ugh!*”
Sent flying back with a short scream, the man couldn't believe the situation.
‘He's strong…!’
He was by no means my inferior.
For a moment, he had no confidence he could break through the wall he faced.
‘Why does the Great Young Lord, known as a scoundrel, possess such profound martial arts?’
He needed to remain calm, but he couldn't.
Thus, failing to notice that Cheon Muryang's breathing had become ragged, he stood there, unable to act.
‘Now's my chance.’
A single breath.
It was the only respite Cheon Muryang had left.
The Heavenly Light Sword soared toward the sky.
It was the Sword of Severing Heaven, capable of cutting the very sky.
Regaining his breath, Cheon Muryang thrust the Heavenly Light Sword forward.
“W-Wait!”
“Nonsense.”
*Slice!*
The Heavenly Light Sword cut from his shoulder down to his side.
“I-If you kill me… y-you won't get any information!”
“Shut up.”
Using the centrifugal force from retracting his sword, he struck the man's neck.
Cheon Muryang stood blankly, spattered with blood.
“Because there's nothing I need to hear from you.”
*Drip.*
*Drip, drip.*
Blood dripped from the tip of the Heavenly Light Sword onto the floor.
Shaking off the blood and sheathing his sword, Cheon Muryang spoke casually.
“You can come out now.”
“…”
Geumsan revealed himself.
Cheon Muryang had already been aware of the eyes tailing him.
“Killing them… means there's no turning back.”
“They deserved to die anyway. There was no reason to spare leeches who suck the blood of the weak.”
Geumsan glanced back and forth between the corpse and Cheon Muryang.
“You've seen my resolve, haven't you? Now, you must tell me everything you know.”
“…Great Young Lord.”
“Speak.”
“The family might be split in two. Do you still wish to hear it? Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.”
“Wouldn't that be better than the family falling to ruin?”
“If you say so… My life is already forfeit, so I will tell you, Great Young Lord.”
Geumsan nodded.
What was there to hide?
Perhaps the reason he endured this humiliation and never left Zhejiang was for this very moment.
“I should start by explaining why I left the Golden Pavilion.”
“…”
“At the time, I was tasked with tracking the flow of disbursed funds to ensure they were used correctly. But at a certain point, the trail went cold.”
“Went cold?”
“Yes. It was a massive amount of money, but the scheme was so cunning that from a certain point, the entire trail simply vanished.”
“Vanished?”
“Yes. It was as if the funds had been transformed into money that never existed in the first place.”
And so, having discovered this, Geumsan intended to report it to his superiors.
However, Geumsan couldn't bring himself to act.
“But you see, I wasn't the first to discover this fact.”
“…”
“By the time I figured it out, someone had already reported it to the higher-ups.”
His face twisted.
Cheon Muryang could guess what was coming next.
“Not long after… the one who reported the family's corruption was framed for corruption himself and disappeared without a trace.”
“Mm…”
“I was afraid. So, I tried to cover it up.”
And so, Geumsan left the Golden Pavilion.
Was it guilt?
Geumsan drowned himself in alcohol every day.
He squandered all his savings and even took out high-interest loans.
“The reason I couldn't die, couldn't leave Zhejiang… was because I wanted to appease the vengeful spirit of that boy who died in vain.”
I wanted to clear his name.
An unusual affection could be felt.
So, he asked.
“What was his name?”
“Geumgang. He was my younger brother.”
“…”
“Great Young Lord, I beg you.”
Geumsan bowed his head.
He took out a worn piece of paper from his robes.
It was dark with grime from being handled so many times.
“This is…?”
“It's a document I smuggled out, afraid all the evidence would be destroyed.”
“Ah.”
It was the very weapon Cheon Muryang needed most.
Cheon Muryang tucked the piece of evidence—which Geumsan must have wanted to throw away dozens, hundreds of times—into his robes.
“Please… clear my brother's name.”
“Don't worry. I will expel everyone involved in this affair.”
Cheon Muryang picked up the scattered money and gave half of it to Geumsan.
“Give the rest to the owner of this establishment.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
Cheon Muryang took the head of the man he had killed and wrapped it in a nearby cloth.
“Ah, by the way, I came out to buy clothes. Would you mind getting some that fit me?”
“M-Me?”
“Yes. It's time for you to get back to work, isn't it?”
“…!”
Cheon Muryang left Hongmae Pavilion.
Before long, the sun had set, and the streets of Hangzhou grew dim.
“A storm of blood is about to break.”
* * *
Cheon Muryang returned to the family estate.
And he went straight to the Golden Pavilion.
The guard there recognized Cheon Muryang and bowed his head.
“Greetings, Great Young Lord.”
“Where is the master of the Golden Pavilion?”
“He is inside.”
“Announce me. Tell him the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family wishes to see the master.”
“Yes. Please, go in.”
“No. I will not go in. Tell him to come here himself.”
“…!”
Looking at the guard's bewildered expression, Cheon Muryang spoke coldly.
“I believe I told you to announce me.”
“W-Well…”
It was then.
The doors to the Golden Pavilion opened.
From within, the master of the Golden Pavilion, Cheon Bang, walked out with several others.
“Great Young Lord, why are you harassing the gatekeeper? Why not come inside yourself?”
“Ah, Master of the Golden Pavilion. It's been a while. You look to be in good health. It's wonderful to see.”
“You flatter me. How could I compare to the Great Young Lord's fine bearing?”
“You're a busy man, so I'll get straight to the point.”
Cheon Muryang tossed the bundle in his hand to the master of the Golden Pavilion.
As it flew, the cloth came unwrapped.
“*Gasp!*”
Inside was a severed head.
Cheon Bang's expression hardened as he snapped.
“What is the meaning of this? Couldn't you control yourself and had to go on another… another one of your rampages?”
“Of course not. This man dared to use the Cheon Family's name to engage in usury.”
“U-Usury!”
“…”
Cheon Muryang's voice was so resonant that people from inside the Golden Pavilion came rushing out.
Thus, they couldn't help but react to the mention of usury.
“Did you just say usury?”
“Yes. I don't know if this man was the ringleader or just some middleman playing games.”
“But why come to the Golden Pavilion instead of the Inspection Corps?”
“Because he said something meaningful before he died.”
“W-What do you mean!”
He shot a derisive smirk at the startled Cheon Bang.
“Why are you so surprised? Anyone would think you were the mastermind behind this man.”
“Great Young Lord!”
At that moment.
Cheon Muryang's aura changed drastically.
It was a heavy presence, a complete contrast to his playful smile.
“*Gasp!*”
“I came to give a warning. It seems there are rats gnawing away at the family's coffers.”
The master of the Golden Pavilion, Cheon Bang, looked grim.
“W-What are you talking about!”
“The darkest place is under the candlestick. There's no harm in being careful.”
The darkest place is under the lamp.
At those words, Cheon Bang felt a chill and could only nod.
“Y-Yes, you're right. There's no harm in being careful. The entire Golden Pavilion will investigate this matter.”
“That would be a relief. I've said all I came to say, so I'll be leaving now.”
“T-Take care, Great Young Lord.”
“We'll be seeing each other again soon.”
Leaving behind those meaningful words, Cheon Muryang left the Golden Pavilion.
“…”
Cheon Bang felt a sense of unease.
‘When did the Great Young Lord become such a… threatening figure?’
He grew anxious.
And so, the master of the Golden Pavilion headed somewhere in secret.
“…”
Seemingly unaware that Cheon Muryang was secretly following him.
‘This is the path to the Council of Elders.’
Cheon Muryang couldn't follow him into the heavily guarded area.
‘Was the Council of Elders behind the master of the Golden Pavilion?’
That was enough.
He had thrown the bait; they were sure to move one way or another.
“I should go see my uncle.”
Cheon Seonhak would be at the training grounds.
Naturally, Cheon Muryang also headed for the training grounds.
*Whoosh!*
Recently, the number of trainees practicing late into the night had increased.
Furthermore, the number of people who greeted Cheon Muryang first had also grown.
“Ah.”
At the very least, those who devoted themselves to training late into the night were the ones who acknowledged Cheon Muryang.
Cheon Seonhak, who had heard long ago that Cheon Muryang had left the Heavenly Dragon Library, smiled upon seeing him finally appear.
“*Hahaha.* You asked for two days, but it took you ten.”
“Greetings, Uncle.”
“So, what did you see in the Heavenly Dragon Library?”
“A boundless sky. There was a sky.”
Cheon Seonhak's smile deepened.
He grew curious about what that sky was.
“Show me.”
“Yes.”
The two men suddenly drew their swords.
*Whoosh!*
Two skies that should never have overlapped unfolded in a single training ground.