Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Pruning (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the office of the Inspection Corps Leader.
Those who shared Cheon Muryang's purpose had gathered there.
“You’re the Inspection Corps Leader of the Cheon Family? This family is clearly doomed.”
The grumbling Wandering King was, nevertheless, seated.
Across from him, Woryeong glared with fierce eyes.
“Ahem, ahem!”
The Wandering King cleared his throat awkwardly at her gaze.
‘That relentless brat.’
When he had told her to come at him if she had a problem, Woryeong had charged, filled with malice.
Each time, the Wandering King had struck her down hard, but Woryeong had proven her indomitable will.
‘I’ve never seen a child with such a will to fight, even after being pushed that far.’
Woryeong never gave up, rushing him until the very end.
And so, her sword had managed to touch the sleeve of the Wandering King’s robe.
Of course, that was because the Wandering King, impressed by her resolve, had gone easy on her.
‘But what’s even more incredible…’
While he was amazed by Woryeong, the Wandering King was left speechless when he looked at Cheon Muryang.
‘It’s that guy.’
Cheon Muryang's training was simple.
He would hold his sword and slowly swing it down, or occasionally, swing it up from below. That was all.
At first, the Wandering King had wondered what kind of training such slow movements could be, but the moment he understood its true nature, he could only be astonished.
‘To think that every single motion could be so chillingly identical…’
One motion after another.
They were so identical it was unnerving.
‘And yet, they were subtly different.’
The Wandering King could see it.
With each movement, something was changing ever so slightly.
This meant he had his sword and body under perfect control.
In other words, he had realized the state where the sword and self are one.
‘To achieve the Unity of Sword and Self at that age… He’s truly a madman.’
The Wandering King clicked his tongue in amazement.
His balance was perfect.
Many believed that to become a true master, one must learn advanced sword arts and advanced internal arts.
‘But what’s most important are the fundamentals.’
While that wasn’t entirely wrong, it was useless if the foundation wasn't solid.
One wouldn't even be able to comprehend the subtleties of advanced techniques in the first place.
‘In that sense, that boy… is clearly different from his peers.’
The Wandering King had wandered the martial world, interacting and sparring with countless individuals.
Among them were the rising stars of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, hailed as the Three Dragons or Five Phoenixes of the martial world.
They were certainly powerful for their age.
However, their depth was inevitably shallow, and they still tended to focus on flashy techniques.
‘It seems he already understands what’s truly important. He is a true warrior.’
Cheon Muryang was different.
He was building depth by repeating only the fundamentals.
Even the Wandering King found it difficult to fathom the extent of that depth.
‘The moment he deems his foundation complete.’
That would be the day the world would learn of the sleeping dragon named Cheon Muryang.
‘Just how far do you intend to go?’
The Wandering King had always roamed the martial world.
Now, it was time to think about settling down.
Coincidentally, he had already decided to make the Vagrant's Lodge in Hangzhou his new home.
‘It wouldn’t be so bad to stay with the Cheon Family.’
Thinking this, the Wandering King subtly avoided Woryeong’s sharp gaze.
Cheon Muryang paid him no mind and continued.
“There’s one person here I don’t know the reason for his presence, but let’s ignore him and proceed.”
Cheon Muryang’s gaze turned to Neung Ryeoun.
“Neung Ryeoun.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Which of the Cheon Family’s allies holds the most influence?”
“The Taeheung Sect.”
“And after them?”
“The Yongyu Sect.”
“What about the merchant guilds?”
“The Geumhwa Guild and the Taeryong Merchant Guild.”
Cheon Muryang’s expression was cold.
He had heard all those names, except for the Taeryong Merchant Guild, in the back alleys of Hangzhou.
“Geumsan.”
“Yes.”
“Are the Taeheung Sect, the Yongyu Sect, and the Geumhwa Guild dealing with the Black Merchants?”
He spoke to him casually, as if to a subordinate.
However, Geumsan accepted it.
He had decided to become one of Cheon Muryang’s men.
“They are.”
“Is it possible they did so without knowing what their actions meant?”
This time, Geumsan shook his head.
“That’s impossible. They are all places where the Council of Elders has strong influence. In fact, their selection as allies is related to the Council.”
“Hmm.”
He had thought as much.
It became even clearer that the goal of the Council of Elders—or more precisely, Grand Elder Cheon Jungho—was not the power of the Cheon Family.
‘He’s intentionally ruining the Cheon Family.’
All the emerging allies of the Cheon Family were tainted with corruption.
‘To not only fail to cut them off but to accept them as allies…’
It was a clear indication of their true objective.
It was the perfect day for a bit of pruning.
“Very well. Then, today we will strike the Taeheung Sect.”
Cheon Seonhak, who had been listening quietly, asked.
“What will you do about the alliance?”
“I have no intention of maintaining an alliance with those who have committed crimes. There’s no reason to.”
A smirk.
Cheon Muryang smiled.
Weren’t they the ones who had committed the crime in the first place?
“We have every justification on our side. Besides, didn’t I give them a full fifteen days?”
Fifteen days.
A long time if you think about it, but short otherwise.
However, the Taeheung Sect had, at the very least, ignored Cheon Muryang’s warning.
“They need to pay the price.”
A memory suddenly surfaced.
“The Great Young Lord of the Taeheung Sect, was it? I heard he’s also a notorious scoundrel.”
It seemed Cheon Muryang had been an outcast even among the other delinquents.
The Head Disciple of the Taeheung Sect, in particular, had taken the lead in ostracizing him.
‘So the Great Young Lord knew nothing about the back alleys of Hangzhou.’
While they were carousing in the dark corners of the city, Cheon Muryang had been peacefully buried in taverns.
‘In hindsight, that was much better.’
He couldn't understand why he had seemed so pathetic back then.
What he had thought was the very bottom turned out to be the highest peak.
“If I get the chance, I’ll have to give that bastard a good kick in the ass.”
* * *
The Taeheung Sect was a fairly influential faction in Zhejiang, thanks to its alliance with the Cheon Family.
As such, everyone would yield if you claimed to be from the Taeheung Sect.
*CRASH!*
As if to mock that influence, the main gate of the Taeheung Sect was utterly demolished.
The sound was so loud that everyone in the sect noticed.
The Sect Leader, who happened to be passing by, was no exception.
As a master who had reached the initial stage of the consummate realm, he rushed to the main gate as soon as he sensed trouble.
Several disciples were sprawled on the ground.
“How dare you! What is the meaning of this?!”
He saw only three men.
A woman in martial attire stood behind them, but she didn't particularly catch his eye.
The Sect Leader roared in anger, but he soon noticed something odd.
“Wait, aren’t those the uniforms of the Cheon Family?”
The three men were wearing the martial uniforms of the Cheon Family.
“Ah, the Sect Leader of Taeheung?”
“...?”
A man with strikingly handsome, noble features called out to him.
‘Who is he? Was there such a nobleman in the Cheon Family?’
Unable to recognize him, the Sect Leader was inwardly cautious.
“Who are you? How dare you wear the Cheon Family’s uniform and cause such a ruckus?”
“Me?”
A smirk.
The corners of his lips curled up.
Seeing this, the Sect Leader felt a sense of familiarity.
“No, wait a minute.”
He hadn't recognized him because he had lost so much weight, gained muscle, and grown taller, but he remembered that uniquely scoundrel-like smile.
“The… the scoundrel of the Cheon Family? No, the Great Young Lord?”
“Oh, you finally recognize me? It is I, Cheon Muryang, that very scoundrelly Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family.”
Cheon Muryang smiled.
But contrary to his smile, the sharpness of the Heavenly Light in his hand grew even keener.
“H-How could you commit such a discourtesy! Th-This is the Taeheung Sect! We are allies with the Cheon Family!”
“Didn’t I warn you?”
“...!”
“As the new Inspection Corps Leader, I’m sure I sent word to the Taeheung Sect. That I would grant you a grace period of fifteen days.”
“Th-That is…”
The Sect Leader felt a chill run down his spine.
Such a warning had indeed been delivered.
However, he had dismissed it, thinking it was just a scoundrel acting above his station.
“Th-There must be some misunderstanding. Please, speak with the Th-Third Elder, the Third Elder.”
“Tsk, tsk. Your excuses are so unoriginal.”
At this point, he almost had to admire the Third Elder.
‘Seriously, is there anything he’s not involved in? Perhaps the Cheon Family lost an incredible talent?’
The name was so ubiquitous that one might think the family had lost the distinguished figure known as the Third Elder.
“I’m sorry, but I plan to start with the Taeheung Sect and then get rid of your precious Third Elder. So, don’t bother trying to find a way out.”
*Swish.*
He pulled something from his robe.
It was the data Geumsan had spent several sleepless nights compiling.
The reason Geumsan had joined the Black Merchants wasn't because he sympathized with their cause, but to acquire the information they possessed.
“There won’t be any escape routes left.”
“Ugh!”
The Taeheung Sect Leader’s face hardened.
It was then.
“Well, look who it is. Isn’t it Cheon Muryang? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Clueless about the situation, the Head Disciple of the Taeheung Sect, Lee Taemun, also known as a scoundrel like Cheon Muryang, staggered over, drunk.
“It’s been a while. Lee… Taemun. Is that right? Lee Taemun?”
Cheon Muryang had been unsure of his family name.
However, Lee Taemun seemed to interpret this as fear.
He chuckled and casually approached Cheon Muryang, slinging an arm around his shoulders.
“...”
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. Don’t tell me you were heartbroken because that courtesan you had your eye on that day chose me instead?”
*Pat, pat.*
As always, Lee Taemun looked down on Cheon Muryang, patting his shoulder.
“Well, it suits you, I guess. But you should rest and lose weight in moderation. You’ve been scarce in Hangzhou lately, we should get together sometime. I know a killer spot.”
“...”
“Haha. This guy, same as ever, frozen stiff. Relax. It’s not like I’m going to eat you, am I?”
“...”
Cheon Muryang remained silent.
A strange tension filled the air.
“Huh?”
Lee Taemun wasn’t completely oblivious.
He finally noticed the Sect Leader was present.
“Why is the Sect Leader here?”
“Ugh…”
Then he saw the Taeheung disciples scattered on the ground.
“What’s this?”
Just as Lee Taemun voiced his confusion.
*Swoosh.*
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak.
And Woryeong. They all subtly stepped back, creating space.
‘That idiot…’
Though their thoughts varied in degree.
The three shared a similar sentiment.
The moment their gazes of pity fell upon Lee Taemun.
*WHACK!*
Cheon Muryang’s fist slammed into the back of Lee Taemun’s head.
“What do you think it is, you bastard?”
“Keok!”
“It’s the execution of the Inspection Corps, here in person to clean up trash like you, you son of a bitch.”
“Wh-What did you say? You… you bastard!”
Unable to contain his anger, Lee Taemun tried to draw his sword.
“...!”
But he couldn't.
For some reason, he felt that if he did, his head would be severed from his neck.
‘Wh-Why? My body… it won’t move!’
*Tremble.*
Lee Taemun’s body froze.
His limbs wouldn't budge.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
“If you draw it…”
“Huk!”
“You die.”
The source of that killing intent was right in front of him.
Cheon Muryang was smiling brightly, but it was so cold that it seemed like this is what the grim reaper would look like if he smiled.
“Go on, why don’t you draw your sword?”
It wasn't just him.
No one else could move either.