Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Raising the Sword
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An unexpected uproar erupted in the Cheon Family.
All because of Cheon Muryang, the family's good-for-nothing Great Young Lord.
"I wonder what kind of trouble he's caused this time..."
Upon returning to the family estate, Cheon Muryang had used his authority as the Great Young Lord to summon all the key figures.
"He'd been quiet lately. I guess his troublemaking sickness is acting up again."
And so, everyone gathered at the grand training grounds.
There, warriors from the So-eung Faction were bound in ropes, forced to their knees.
"What is this?"
"Judging by their clothes, they're from the So-eung Faction, aren't they?"
Confusion spread.
The So-eung Faction was, after all, an ally of the Cheon Family.
"The Great Young Lord, where is he?"
Everyone looked for Cheon Muryang, the one person who could explain this situation.
*Step, step.*
Someone approached.
With each footstep, an intangible, murderous aura surged forth.
"Gasp!"
A strange silence fell.
Only the sound of footsteps could be heard.
"The... The Great Young Lord?"
How could the good-for-nothing Great Young Lord possibly exude such an intense aura?
A few of them couldn't hide their bewildered expressions.
"The... Head of the Inspection Team?"
But their surprise didn't end there.
For they saw a figure being dragged by a rope, tied up like a dog.
"I... I will not let this stand!"
Cheon Ahaeng was spitting with rage, his face beet red, but Cheon Muryang wore an expression that said, *Is that a dog barking somewhere?*
"Do what you want."
"Y-You...!"
Cheon Ahaeng wanted nothing more than to rip the ropes apart, but he couldn't.
"Greetings to the Family Head."
For behind Cheon Muryang walked the head of the Cheon Family, Cheon Wigang.
"......!"
His unyielding, iron-wall-like presence was a complete contrast to the sharpness Cheon Muryang emanated.
The absolute ruler's imperious gaze fell upon Cheon Muryang.
"Why have you summoned everyone?"
His heavy voice instantly dominated the entire training ground.
Even those not facing him directly felt a subtle pressure.
Such was Cheon Wigang, the first pillar of the Cheon Family.
*Rumble!*
But Cheon Muryang was unfazed.
The pressure, like that of a great mountain, seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
"I am here to report the corruption of the So-eung Faction of Soheung and the Head of the Inspection Team."
"Corruption, you say."
Cheon Wigang's gaze shifted to the bound Cheon Ahaeng.
*Flinch.*
At Cheon Wigang's mere glance, Cheon Ahaeng instinctively lowered his head.
It made him lose any thought of daring to meet his eyes.
"...Do you have proof?"
"Yes."
Cheon Muryang nodded and took several sheets of paper from his robes.
"These are documents from the residents of Soheung, confirming their exploitation by the So-eung Faction."
"......"
"It seems that besides the taxes paid to the Cheon Family, the So-eung Faction has been extorting them under all sorts of pretexts."
He then took out the documents he had received from Cheon Seonhak, which detailed the Inspection Team Head's corruption.
"Furthermore, this is a record of the funds the Inspection Team Head embezzled from the family."
"Gasp!"
Cheon Ahaeng was dumbfounded.
But that wasn't all.
"And I have also confirmed the contents of the ledger kept by the leader of the So-eung Faction."
*Thud.*
Cheon Muryang tossed the ledger.
Inside, the flow of funds from the So-eung Faction to Cheon Ahaeng was recorded in detail.
"Where is the leader of the So-eung Faction?"
Only then did Cheon Wigang realize the faction leader was nowhere to be seen.
"I cut him down."
"Cut him down?"
"Yes."
There wasn't a hint of hesitation.
Cheon Muryang continued his story.
"I originally intended to capture him alive... but it seems he was in league with the Demonic Cult."
"The... The Demonic Cult!"
Everyone was aghast.
Cheon Wigang's eyebrow twitched.
Why would the name of the Demonic Cult come up here?
"Did you just say the Demonic Cult?"
"Yes."
Cheon Muryang briefly explained what had happened at the So-eung Faction's headquarters.
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock.
"How amusing."
The Third Elder, who had been silent, stepped forward.
With a hollow laugh, the Third Elder advanced, putting pressure on Cheon Muryang as he spoke.
"But isn't all of this just the Great Young Lord's one-sided claim?"
The Third Elder glanced at the papers presented as evidence and crumpled them in his hand.
"Even these scraps of paper you offer as proof could easily be forged."
"......"
"With what, exactly, can you prove this corruption, Great Young Lord?"
Cheon Muryang remained silent.
At this, the triumphant Third Elder began to press Cheon Muryang even harder.
"Furthermore, the Demonic Cult..."
The Third Elder clicked his tongue.
It was a blatant sneer.
"You've gone too far, Great Young Lord. Even lies require some effort to be believable."
"A lie, you say..."
Cheon Muryang scanned his surroundings.
Most of the onlookers were skeptical.
No matter how much he seemed to have changed, the deep-seated notion of him as a good-for-nothing was not easily altered.
"Surely you know that perjury is a crime that cannot be forgiven, even for the Great Young Lord?"
The Third Elder skillfully framed Cheon Muryang's accusations as slander.
"I don't know what your intentions were in orchestrating this... but it would be best if you stopped here."
A subtle threat.
An unspoken pressure could be felt.
*Pfft.*
Cheon Muryang laughed.
If he intended to stop here, he would never have started in the first place.
"Head of the Golden Treasury Pavilion."
Ignoring the Third Elder, Cheon Muryang suddenly called out to the Head of the Golden Treasury Pavilion.
"Yes?"
"The loan shark case I mentioned before, how far has the investigation progressed?"
"Ah... Th-That is..."
"Surely you haven't failed to find the culprit yet, have you?"
"W-We've concluded that it was the... the isolated act of a few... a few members of the Golden Treasury Pavilion..."
The Pavilion Head was visibly flustered.
Seeing this, Cheon Muryang's smile turned cold.
"The isolated act of a few members, you say. Then where are the ones involved?"
The Pavilion Head stammered.
"W-Well... Th-They've already fled, so we were planning to... to issue a warrant for their arrest soon..."
"There's no need for that."
A new figure appeared.
The moment he heard the voice, the corners of Cheon Muryang's lips lifted slightly.
It was Cheon Seonhak.
"Because I've brought the ones involved right here."
*Thump!*
Unconscious men were slung over Cheon Seonhak's shoulders.
And that wasn't all; he was also dragging more unconscious figures in each hand.
Their faces were bruised to a pulp, evidence of a one-sided beating.
"They were puppets of the Inspection Team."
Cheon Seonhak tossed them all aside carelessly, as if they were sacks of luggage.
Looking at Cheon Seonhak, who seemed to have made a firm resolution, Cheon Muryang gave a small nod.
*'So you've reached an awakening.'*
An achievement years ahead of his past self.
Congratulations would have to wait.
*'First, I have to deal with the matter at hand.'*
With Cheon Seonhak here, there was no longer any need for courtesy.
With an aura completely different from before, Cheon Muryang pressured the Head of the Golden Treasury Pavilion.
"Hic!"
The Pavilion Head's expression, so startled that he hiccuped, was truly a sight to behold.
Seeing this, Cheon Muryang grinned.
"You should have cut ties with the Inspection Team Head sooner. A long tail is bound to get caught."
"......"
Though his words were aimed at the Pavilion Head, it was the Third Elder whose expression twisted.
Whether he noticed this or not, Cheon Muryang took out the documents he had received from Geumsan.
*Shuk!*
"Th-This is!"
"Surprised?"
The Pavilion Head's eyes went wide.
It was a document that should not exist.
"H-How did the Great Young Lord get this!"
Cheon Muryang smiled faintly and showed it to the Third Elder as well.
"Third Elder, do you think this could also be a forgery?"
The document Cheon Muryang held was in the official format used within the Golden Treasury Pavilion.
Furthermore, the seal of the Pavilion Head was clearly stamped at the bottom.
"......"
The Third Elder realized this was all Cheon Muryang's trap.
Sensing the crisis, the Third Elder discreetly sent a hand signal somewhere, unnoticed by anyone else.
"For the Golden Treasury Pavilion, which should be managing the family's funds properly, and the Inspection Team, which should be monitoring it, to collude and embezzle the family's capital."
It was the most perfect form of embezzlement.
It was also a form of embezzlement that should never have been allowed to happen under any circumstances.
Cheon Muryang pressed the Heavenly Light Sword to the Pavilion Head's neck.
"G-Great Young Lord!"
"I'll give you one last chance. Where did the embezzled capital go?"
The amount with the So-eung Faction was only a fraction of it.
How could it only be there?
"I-It's...!"
"You didn't do this on your own, did you?"
He didn't have the guts for that.
The Pavilion Head was nothing more than a hyena looking out for his own skin.
"Tell me who's behind this."
Cheon Muryang didn't miss the Pavilion Head's gaze briefly landing on the Third Elder.
"Or would you rather die and take all the disgrace with you?"
*Fwoosh!*
The Heavenly Light Sword pointed to the sky.
Faced with the threat of an imminent strike, the Pavilion Head tried to say something.
"Thir—!"
It was at that moment.
*KABOOM!*
Gray smoke suddenly filled the grand training grounds.
"It's a smoke bomb!"
"It's a surprise attack!"
Chaos erupted.
*Swish!*
Through the confusion, hidden weapons shot toward Cheon Muryang and the Pavilion Head.
"What a cheap trick."
But the hidden weapons clattered to the ground before they could even reach Cheon Muryang.
Cheon Seonhak had stepped forward.
He was like a shield of solid iron.
Under Cheon Wigang's command.
The chaos subsided.
*Whoosh!*
Cheon Wigang swung his sword, blowing away the gray smoke.
And there, in the clearing smoke, the Pavilion Head—who should have been unharmed—lay collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
"Gurgle...!"
"......!"
The convulsing movements of the Pavilion Head ceased.
*Grit.*
Seeing this, Cheon Muryang rushed to the Pavilion Head's side, but it was too late.
The Pavilion Head was already dead, his eyes wide open.
"Damn..."
Cheon Muryang gritted his teeth.
It seemed the gray smoke had been a catalyst, activating something implanted within the Pavilion Head.
*Whip!*
He whipped his head around, looking for the Inspection Team Head.
Fortunately, Cheon Ahaeng was still alive.
The Third Elder, standing beside him, approached with a grim expression.
"The Head of the Golden Treasury Pavilion is dead."
"......"
"It seems this incident was the Pavilion Head's doing alone. Family Head, you should focus on tracking the funds he embezzled."
The Third Elder's intention was clear.
He meant to close the case by pinning it all on the Pavilion Head.
Cheon Wigang stared at the Third Elder.
*Vwooom!*
It was a strange standoff.
They looked ready to clash at any moment.
In that hair-trigger moment.
"Family Head, I have a proposal."
Cheon Muryang stepped forward.
Without even shifting his gaze, Cheon Wigang replied.
"Speak."
"The position of the Head of the Inspection Team, which will soon be vacant."
"...?"
"Give it to me."
"Wh-What did you say?"
Instead of Cheon Wigang, it was the Third Elder who responded, his expression incredulous.
"Great Young Lord, the position of Inspection Team Head must be appointed by the Council of Elders."
*Pfft.*
Cheon Muryang laughed.
"Isn't that precisely why this disaster occurred?"
"Wh-What!"
The Third Elder's face flushed crimson.
"Such a vehement reaction. You must have something to hide."
"Wh-What are you talking about!"
"If that's not the case."
"......!"
"Is there some reason why I shouldn't become the Head of the Inspection Team?"
The tables had turned.
Cheon Muryang clearly held the upper hand, and the Third Elder clenched his jaw.
"Enough."
Cheon Wigang withdrew his aura.
Then, he delivered his verdict.
"The position of the Head of the Golden Treasury Pavilion will remain vacant for the time being."
"......"
Cheon Wigang gazed at Cheon Muryang.
"You said you want the position of Inspection Team Head."
"Yes."
"Then do as you wish."
"Thank you."
"However, there is a condition."
"Yes. Please state it."
"If you fail to produce results within fifteen days, I will strip you of the position."
"......"
"You can't do it?"
"Of course I can."
Cheon Muryang smiled.
Wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
Cheon Muryang issued a warning to everyone gathered there.
"Unfortunately, it seems there are many who are eating away at this family from the inside."
"......"
"You'd all best be on your toes. As you know, I have a bit of a good-for-nothing streak."
*Snap.*
His smile vanished.
A sharpness that could split the heavens swept through the training grounds.
"Nowhere in the Cheon Family will be a sanctuary."
*Glance.*
Was it a coincidence?
Cheon Muryang's final gaze fell upon the Third Elder.