Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Trap (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The back alleys of Hangzhou had always been a lawless zone where no one dared to intervene.
But that had now changed.
The banner of the Cheon Family had officially begun to fly.
*Flutter!*
Cheon Muryang had made a formal declaration.
That he would bring the back alleys of Hangzhou into the light.
This was only the beginning.
Cheon Muryang's inspection team moved without any regard for the Council of Elders.
"Gr-Great Young Lord!"
They were truly elusive, appearing and disappearing like ghosts.
Though they numbered only three, they missed nothing, no matter how trivial.
The Heavenly Watch Corps, moving in the shadows, never revealed themselves.
"Tsk. Didn't I tell you repeatedly? I'm sure I warned you that all corrupt practices would no longer be tolerated."
Hadn't he warned them several times?
He had even shown everyone their final moments.
"What on earth gave you the nerve to act up?"
"Th-this is...!"
"No excuses. Blame your own foolishness for not realizing that the times have changed."
There was no mercy.
Any mercy he had to give was certainly not for them.
And so, Cheon Muryang strictly adhered to a policy of zero tolerance.
"Destroy their martial arts and throw them in the dungeon."
"Yes, sir."
He didn't even need to step in himself.
Being trained alternately by the outstanding instructors, the Wandering King and Cheon Seonhak, had become daily life for Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak.
They were trained so harshly that the two of them looked utterly exhausted.
"Hoh."
Cheon Muryang's eyes gleamed.
The swords of the two men were sharper than ever before.
*'They've definitely gotten stronger.'*
The two of them were probably unaware.
That they were growing stronger with each passing day.
Neung Ryeoun's heavy sword and Cha Myeonghak's swift sword were gradually reaching a state of mastery.
*'Their understanding of the sword has deepened.'*
With two absolute masters who had reached the Transcendent State as their sparring partners, it was only natural.
*'But... they're slowly reaching their limit.'*
Unlike their deepened understanding of the sword, their internal energy wasn't keeping up.
*'They need spiritual herbs...'*
He could probably acquire some by using the Cheon Family's funds, but the quality of herbs one could buy with money was predictable.
Consuming spiritual herbs built up a resistance, diminishing their effects over time, so if he was going to get them, he wanted good ones.
*'They have to be the kind of spiritual herbs money can't buy.'*
Cheon Muryang had already consumed an excessive amount of spiritual herbs and, what's more, had completely assimilated them using the Azure Jade Nectar, so he could no longer grow stronger through them.
*'I don't need them, but it would be good if I could get a lot.'*
Woryeong, just like Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak, would eventually hit a similar wall, wouldn't she?
*'I heard they found the Black Merchant's warehouses...'*
Before his death, the head of the Black Merchants had destroyed all evidence.
As if on cue, the Black Merchants had vanished all at once.
However, not all the goods they had brought into Zhejiang could have disappeared.
*'I must recover all of it.'*
The Heavenly Watch Corps was on their trail, so he expected positive results soon.
The Corps' underlying strength was greater than he had anticipated.
*'I hope I can salvage some decent spiritual herbs. Or at least some weapons.'*
The Cheon Family's financial situation was not good, so they absolutely had to find the Black Merchants' warehouses.
"Securing the warehouses must be the top priority."
Whatever remained in them.
He wanted to be able to give a meaningful gift to those who followed him.
"Let's see, are they still working now?"
Cheon Muryang walked leisurely.
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak were still busy suppressing those who resisted.
*CRASH!*
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak.
Their two swords moved in harmony, perfectly subduing the resistors.
*'I hope I can give them a gift.'*
There was no point in getting strong alone.
Only by growing stronger together could the Cheon Family, and by extension the Central Plains, become stronger.
"My lord, we have subdued them."
"Good work."
"This can't be...!"
They were utterly dumbfounded.
Because they couldn't even handle two men.
"Just a short while ago, they were mere trainees...!"
*Pfft.*
Cheon Muryang smirked.
"They're a different breed."
"......!"
"So you shouldn't compare them to the likes of you."
*Stab!*
He destroyed their cores.
They, too, would be thrown into the dungeon.
"Say hello to the people in there for me."
Cheon Muryang averted his gaze.
The reforms for the new Cheon Family were gradually coming to an end.
There had been so many leaks that the Cheon Family's coffers began to fill up in no time.
"Filling the storehouses to the brim only benefits the rats. Release it all."
If someone had made an unjust profit, it meant someone else had suffered a loss.
And so, Cheon Muryang opened the storehouses.
While it couldn't possibly compensate for all their losses, he hoped it would offer at least some comfort.
"Oh! Oh, my!"
Those who had been wronged couldn't hide their tears.
Cheon Muryang tried not to turn a blind eye to their pain.
So, while he couldn't visit everyone, he went to see them in person whenever he could.
"This will not happen again."
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Cheon Muryang was certain.
That his path was not wrong.
That if he ignored their tears, the Cheon Family would never be able to move forward.
"Neung Ryeoun, Cha Myeonghak."
"Yes, my lord."
"Give some to them as well."
"Yes, sir."
'Them' referred to those who had suffered due to Cheon Muryang's past rampages.
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak were still secretly taking care of them.
Though he planned to hand the task over to the Heavenly Watch Corps soon.
"Are the reforms more or less finished now?"
"Yes. Only the Council of Elders remains."
Those who lacked pride.
Those still bound by old customs.
Those who could not accept change.
All of them were driven out of the Cheon Family by Cheon Muryang.
As they were all connected to the Council of Elders, it meant the Council's power had weakened accordingly.
"But they're still quiet, you say?"
"Yes. There hasn't been even the slightest friction."
"Cutting their losses, are they..."
That was highly likely.
If not that, then.
"They're up to something."
Cheon Muryang shrugged.
It didn't matter.
He was already having the Heavenly Watch Corps monitor the Third Elder.
Besides, hadn't the Cheon Family, which the Council of Elders sought to ruin, already changed?
"I think I understand what the Great Young Lord meant by pride the other day."
"Me too, me too!"
It was a conversation between passing maids.
One by one, they were regaining their lost pride.
Also.
"You're looking well these days."
"Well, I told you my family was going through a hard time a while ago."
"You did."
"And I also said money fell from the sky like magic, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Even now, whenever we're about to run out of money, someone leaves some in front of our house."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't know who it is... So I'm planning to make more offerings to Buddha!"
"I also happened to find some rare medicinal herbs, and my father's condition improved. Isn't our luck amazing lately?"
"You're right. And I've heard we're not the only ones..."
Those who had been hurt by Cheon Muryang's past rampages were also beginning to smile.
It was a small but significant change.
"That's why work has been so enjoyable lately."
"Me too, me too! Even when I see the Great Young Lord, I don't feel scared like I used to."
"Oh? You too? Me too!"
"I guess the scars are fading."
"It's amazing to see the Great Young Lord these days. How can he be so completely different from before?"
It was proof that Cheon Muryang's name was no longer a symbol of distrust and fear.
"Anyway, lately, I find the Great Young Lord rather dependable."
"He's still scary, but I agree."
"..."
Having overheard the conversation, Cheon Muryang stood frozen in place for a moment.
"Let's go."
"Yes, my lord."
And so, the path of the newly reformed Cheon Family brought about many changes.
"Please accept us too!"
First, the number of applicants for the inspection team increased.
So, Cheon Muryang appointed Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak as inspection team leaders and ordered them to select their own team members.
"Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak will be busy, so I should just use the Wandering King as a full-time instructor."
The Wandering King would be horrified if he heard, but Cheon Muryang had no intention of letting him remain a mere guest.
The Wandering King would make an excellent instructor.
Thinking of the Wandering King's inevitable fury, Cheon Muryang returned to his office.
"Hm."
Someone was there.
It was the chief of the Heavenly Watch Corps.
The chief was probably even busier than he was.
"It's been a while."
"..."
However, the expression on the chief's face, whom he hadn't seen in some time, was not bright.
"What is it?"
"I have something to report."
"Go on."
"We pursued the Black Merchants who worked under their leader."
Cheon Muryang nodded.
They were merchants who bought and sold people.
They weren't worth keeping alive, so he had entrusted the matter to the chief.
"And?"
"They weren't fleeing; they were roaming freely throughout Zhejiang."
"They didn't vanish?"
"No. They are still active. In fact, their goods were being gathered in one place."
"One place, you say... Don't tell me..."
"Yes. It is as you've guessed."
The head of the Black Merchants had already smuggled everything out of the Hangzhou back alleys.
All of the smuggled goods had likely flowed to the Third Elder.
"So it was the Third Elder..."
"Yes."
"So that's why he was silent."
It had been strange.
Even though Cheon Muryang had issued a warning, the members of the Council of Elders' faction had continued their corrupt practices without a care.
"It was to buy time."
By sacrificing the small fry, the Third Elder had intended to gain time.
But for what purpose?
"Could it be..."
"Yes. It is as you've guessed."
The chief of the Heavenly Watch Corps gritted his teeth.
Although he was a man who rarely showed emotion, an unconcealable rage could be felt from him.
"Where is the Third Elder?"
"He is in the Mount Putuo area."
"Mount Putuo..."
A place far from the main family estate.
The perfect place to set a trap.
"It's a trap."
"I know."
They must have leaked the information on purpose.
This meant it was a prepared trap.
But Cheon Muryang could not avoid it.
"But I must go."
"..."
"If I don't honor the souls of the dead, who will?"
The Third Elder had also learned demonic arts.
Hadn't Cheon Muryang faced the Half-Heavenly Ogres, who had abandoned their reason to learn those arts?
*Grit!*
He couldn't even begin to imagine how much blood had been shed.
That was why Cheon Muryang blamed himself.
*'This is all because of my complacency.'*
He had let his guard down after taking out the head of the Black Merchants.
He had judged that it didn't matter what the Third Elder did.
But that was a miscalculation.
The price was the lives of those who didn't have to die.
"Inform my uncle and the Wandering King."
"..."
The chief wanted to stop Cheon Muryang.
But the moment he met Cheon Muryang's eyes, he was at a loss for words.
*Shudder!*
A thick killing intent, one that could be called demonic, enveloped even the chief.
"It is time to execute the traitor of the family."
*Thump.*
The chief's heart pounded.
*'It's like seeing the former Family Head.'*
Cheon Muryang's spirit.
It was not unfamiliar.
It resembled that of the former Family Head to whom he had once pledged his loyalty.
*'Cheon Wigang, if you had shown such a side of yourself, would things have been different?'*
There was no way to know.
And so, the chief stopped reminiscing and focused on the present.
"I will make the preparations."
"..."
After the chief left.
Cheon Muryang, now alone, clenched his fists.
*Drip.*
*Drip, drip.*
He clenched them so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood.
"The Demonic Cult..."
He couldn't see just how far its darkness had spread.
But, as always.
The answer was set.
"I will cut you down."