Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Facing the Darkness at Last
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Only after finishing his training did Cheon Muryang finally read the Third Elder's letter.
『Cheonhak Pavilion.』
That was all it said.
Cheonhak Pavilion was an octagonal structure located within the Elders' Courtyard.
In other words, it was a summons.
"What do you plan to do?"
"I have to go. I'm curious to see how he'll play his hand."
"Shall I go with you?"
"Is there any need for a tiger to move just to catch a fox cub? I am more than enough on my own."
Cheon Seonhak chuckled.
Somehow, the scoundrel-like expression now seemed amusing.
"Then, be on your way."
"Yes. I'll go now."
Cheon Muryang looked up at the sky.
The clouds were thick enough to obscure the moon.
‘It’s going to be terribly dark.’
Where the lanterns didn't reach, a pitch-black darkness resided.
The path to the Elders' Courtyard was simple.
"The Elders' Courtyard..."
Although it was part of the Cheon Family, the Elders' Courtyard held an independent position.
Originally, it was a place where members of the previous Family Head's generation would retire after he passed on his position.
They would then become elders, serving in an advisory role for the Cheon Family's decision-making.
"But, at some point, the authority of the Elders' Courtyard grew immense."
Even Cheon Muryang didn't know the full story behind it.
It was an event from the distant past, and besides those directly involved, few knew the true circumstances.
"However, from what I've heard... there has been discord since the current Family Head took his position."
Rumors were rampant.
The rumors concerned the legitimacy of Cheon Wigang.
Cheon Wigang was an excellent Family Head acknowledged by all, but his legitimacy had always been questioned.
"The Family Head..."
Perhaps the family had been split in two ever since then.
Cheon Muryang shrugged.
"It's just a matter of setting things right now."
The past was just the past.
Cheonhak Pavilion came into view.
There, the Third Elder sat alone, sipping from a wine cup.
Spotting Cheon Muryang, he rose from his seat to greet him.
"Ah, Great Young Lord. You've arrived."
"Yes, Third Elder. It is good to see you."
While the Cheon Family was united by blood, not everyone bore the Cheon surname.
Among them were a select few who had entered as trainees but caught the Family Head's eye and were promoted to the leadership.
Thus, the story of the Third Elder, who did not have the Cheon surname, was living proof that promotions within the Cheon Family were based solely on merit.
"I hope this old man hasn't called upon the busy Great Young Lord for nothing."
For this reason, the reputation of the Elders' Courtyard, including the Third Elder, was bound to be good.
After all, even including the branch families, the Cheon bloodline was small, and as the family's scale grew, the number of those without the Cheon surname would naturally increase.
Wasn't the fact that a path for them to rise was open a positive thing?
"It's quite all right. In fact, I should be the one apologizing for not visiting you more often."
The Third Elder simply replied with a hearty laugh.
"Come, have a seat."
"Yes."
Cheon Muryang sat down.
The Third Elder then offered him a wine cup.
"Would you care for a drink?"
"Ah, I've stopped drinking."
"Oh? I've heard the rumors that the Great Young Lord has changed. It seems they were true."
"I'll have tea instead of wine."
"As you wish."
*Gurgle.*
The aroma of the tea rose with the steam.
"This tea has a fine aroma."
"Its taste is just as fine."
The Third Elder downed his wine in one go.
*Thud.*
The Third Elder set his cup down.
In response, Cheon Muryang also lowered his cup.
Without having drunk the tea.
A peculiar light gleamed in the Third Elder's eyes.
"You said the aroma was fine, so why do you not drink?"
"I need to sort something out."
"Sort something out?"
"Whether I can trust this tea enough to drink it."
"..."
The hearty smile on the Third Elder's face vanished.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I'm sure you know."
*Whoooosh!*
A subtle energy began to emanate.
The tension was so thick it wouldn't have been surprising if they came to blows at any moment.
*Ssk.*
The Third Elder held out an empty cup.
Then, he poured wine into it and spoke.
"Great Young Lord."
"Speak."
"Continue living as a scoundrel."
"..."
"Do that, and there will be no problems."
The Third Elder's atmosphere changed drastically.
He was a man whose martial prowess was truly befitting an elder of the Cheon Family.
But Cheon Muryang did not tremble.
The weakling who had once trembled before the strong was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you saying..."
"..."
"That you, Third Elder, have the power to change the Family Head?"
The corners of the Third Elder's mouth curved upward.
"And if I do, what will you do about it?"
"..."
"Great Young Lord, do you not wish to become the Family Head? There should be no reason to refuse this cup."
Cheon Muryang's eyes grew cold.
However, his hand moved toward the cup the Third Elder had offered.
"That is the wise choice."
The Third Elder thought Cheon Muryang had submitted.
"..."
But instead of bringing the cup to his lips, Cheon Muryang moved it to the side, extended his arm, and poured the contents onto the ground.
Killing intent flickered in the Third Elder's eyes.
Cheon Muryang met his gaze without flinching and spoke confidently.
"No one."
"..."
"Can change the Family Head of the Cheon Family."
"Great Young Lord."
"If anyone attempts to do so, no matter who they are."
"..."
"I will cut them down."
"With what? Does the Great Young Lord possess such power? There is nothing more futile than conviction without strength. It seems you need to face reality."
The Third Elder scoffed.
The Great Young Lord had nothing.
No martial arts, no connections, not even the backing of his maternal family.
What could he possibly rely on?
"My sword."
"...!"
*Flinch.*
The Third Elder was startled.
He hadn't sensed when Cheon Muryang had drawn his sword.
‘When...?’
A brief question.
But one he would never find the answer to.
"Fortunately for me, I have a sword."
"...Recklessness has its time and place."
"Whether this is recklessness or not, you can judge for yourself, Third Elder."
Cheon Muryang then left his seat.
The Third Elder, still seated in his original position, spoke in a warning tone.
"Regrettably, it seems our negotiations have failed. Great Young Lord, the night path is dark. Watch your step on the way back."
"..."
Cheon Muryang didn't even bother to reply.
Leaving Cheonhak Pavilion, Cheon Muryang headed for the training grounds.
*Halt!*
On his way there.
Cheon Muryang stopped in his tracks.
It was the same path he'd taken to get here, but something felt out of place.
‘It’s about time.’
Hadn't the Third Elder kindly given him a warning?
Cheon Muryang raised his sword.
*Rustle.*
Something moved in the darkness.
But it was only a faint shimmer, barely visible to the naked eye.
Not a single presence could be felt.
‘Assassins?’
Cheon Muryang realized just how powerful the Elders' Courtyard was.
How could they manage to operate their own assassins within the Elders' Courtyard?
‘What a complete mess.’
The scoundrel Cheon Muryang hadn't appeared for no reason.
‘This damned Cheon Family was the real scoundrel all along, wasn't it?’
The scoundrel was the Cheon Family itself.
*Grit.*
As if to vent all the sorrow he had endured from being condemned as a scoundrel, Cheon Muryang gripped his sword tightly.
*Shhhk.*
They showed no signs of attacking.
"How dull... Are you just trying to threaten me?"
They probably hadn't been ordered to kill him.
Their goal was likely to instill fear.
It seemed the Third Elder was still under a delusion.
‘Did he think I would tremble in fear?’
Even though he had already shown that the Cheon Muryang of the past was gone, the Third Elder didn't seem to believe it.
‘I can't force him to believe me, but...’
It seemed necessary to make things perfectly clear.
"I'll show you bastards what happens when you mess with me."
In that instant, a throwing dagger flew toward him.
But the dagger, hidden in the darkness, had its shadow concealed by the clouds.
*Fwoosh!*
A brilliant moonlight flared.
The pitch-black darkness, where even the moon was hidden by clouds, momentarily vanished.
"...!"
Men in black masks.
Their surprised expressions were visible.
"Tsk. If you're going to call yourselves assassins, shouldn't you maintain your composure in a situation like this?"
Cheon Muryang clicked his tongue and swung his sword downward.
The dagger flying toward him was shattered in two.
He cleaved the very sky where they stood.
*Rustle.*
And so, watching them scatter before it collapsed, Cheon Muryang smiled.
"Is this a cornered hunt? Something seems to have been reversed."
Isn't a cornered hunt where the many corner the few?
But the situation was the exact opposite.
As they tried to escape the collapsing sky, they were defenseless.
"You should never let your guard down, no matter the situation."
*Slice.*
The heavenly light cleaved the moon in the sky.
*Thud.*
*Roll, roll.*
The head of a black-masked man who failed to dodge in time fell to the ground.
His body crumbled.
*Drip.*
*Drip, drip.*
Blood dripped down the blade of the Heavenly Light Sword.
The aura of the lone-standing Cheon Muryang was completely different from the information they had been given.
『On par with a trainee.』
That assessment was completely wrong.
Of course, the benchmark for that trainee was Lee Seok-gi, known as the top student, but they didn't know.
The fact that Lee Seok-gi had already been surpassed for the top position.
"Who's next?"
*Step, step.*
Walking through the desolate darkness, Cheon Muryang looked just like a grim reaper.
"Since you tried to kill the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family..."
Was it a coincidence?
The moon, which had been hidden by the clouds, emerged.
The moonlight shone down on Cheon Muryang.
*Smirk.*
In the smile illuminated by the moonlight, there was not a hint of hesitation.
"You won't feel it's unfair if the price is death, will you?"
"...!"
"Go, and tell the Third Elder."
"..."
"That I will be coming to collect this debt soon."
Cheon Muryang lowered his sword.
He issued an order to leave to the men, who were frozen in indecision.
"If you've failed, then get lost."
*Shhhh.*
The moon was once again hidden by the clouds.
The black shadows flickered and then vanished.
"So this is how you're going to play?"
Cheon Muryang saw that all traces of the corpse he had cut down had completely disappeared.
Even as they retreated, they had left no evidence behind.
"Tsk."
Cheon Muryang casually flicked the blood off his Heavenly Light Sword and sheathed it.
Then, he left the place.
Not the slightest sense of unease remained.
After Cheon Muryang disappeared, someone silently emerged.
"So he was hiding his strength all this time."
He stared at the spot where Cheon Muryang had vanished before disappearing himself.
The moon remained hidden by the clouds.
* * *
Cheon Muryang spoke with Cheon Seonhak.
"Hmm. So that's what happened."
"First conciliation, then intimidation. It's all rather predictable, isn't it?"
"So, what will you do now?"
"I have to make the first move. What happened with the matter I asked you about?"
"You mean the Head of the Inspection Corps?"
"Yes."
"It made me want to run over and chop his head off right then and there."
*Thump.*
Cheon Seonhak took out several letters.
Receiving them, Cheon Muryang couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
"Hah..."
The densely packed characters detailed the corruption committed by the Head of the Inspection Corps.
The amount of bribes he had taken under the guise of the Inspection Corps was staggering.
"He's really been lining his pockets. With this much blind money leaking out... it's a wonder the family hasn't collapsed."
However, Cheon Muryang noticed something strange.
The majority of the funds embezzled by the Head of the Inspection Corps were directed to a single place.
"The Soeung Group..."
"You noticed."
"Uncle, do you know where the Soeung Group is located?"
"It's in Shaoxing, below Hangzhou."
"Yes. And... it's also where the Cheon Family's warehouse is located."
The letter he received from Geumsan.
According to that letter, the Cheon Family's warehouse should have been filled with the items procured by the Cheongeum Pavilion.
"I must go to Shaoxing."
"Can you handle it alone?"
Cheon Seonhak couldn't make a move.
His every move was almost certainly being reported to the Elders' Courtyard.
"Yes. I'm more than enough."
In the predawn hours of that day.
Cheon Muryang headed out of the family estate.