The Final Fist of the Gold-Greedy Monster
Eun Baek-jung burst into the room, panting heavily.
“Keep your promise!”
“I have no such obligation. Didn’t you say you were going to wash your hands with gold dust?”
“I haven’t done it yet! I’m offering you a mountain of gold—why refuse?!”
“I told you my fist is broken.”
Eun Baek-jung had rushed straight to Geum Man-deuk the moment he heard that Eun Baek-ho’s granddaughter had appeared. At this point, there were almost no martial artists left he could rely on. With the reputation of Henan’s greatest merchant group hanging by a thread, borrowing the hand of the orthodox sects as he had in Eun Baek-ho’s time was out of the question. Most heterodox warriors, after gauging the mood of the merchants across the regions, had turned him down. Among those still usable, the strongest was the gold-obsessed Geum Man-deuk.
“Look at my fist. With this, I can do nothing.”
“It looks perfectly fine! What’s the problem?!”
Indeed, Geum Man-deuk’s hand was trembling violently. But what of it?
“At most, all you’d be doing is cleaning up a few powerless stragglers!”
“If your opponent is nothing but powerless stragglers, then hire someone else or use the blade-wielders already under your command.”
“Ugh… We’ve worked together for years! At least tell me why you’re acting like this!”
“I’ve given you the same answer over and over. What more do you want me to say when you refuse to believe it?”
“Who in their right mind would believe that nonsense about you falling into heart demons?!”
“If you don’t believe me, then know this: because you are not a true martial artist of the jianghu, and because we have a history of transactions, I have repeatedly forgiven your rudeness. Had it been anyone else, I would have torn their limbs apart a hundred times over.”
“Then use that strength to tear my enemies apart instead!”
“Hah… You’ve truly gone mad…”
“…Is this because of your brother?”
“What…?”
“I heard everything. That bastard Cheong-san is holding your brother’s granddaughters! Have you suddenly grown a conscience? Did seeing them soften your heart and make you run away?!”
“Hah… Haha… You really have lost your mind.”
“I have! How could I endure this without going mad?! Help me! Or give me back every ounce of gold you’ve taken!!”
“Heh heh heh…”
Geum Man-deuk quietly stroked his beard. He had not told a single lie to Eun Baek-jung today. Even now, the golden notes of Bing Ok-yeon’s zither remained lodged in his heart. The Silver Tiger Plaque she had shot into him had burrowed deep, squeezing his dantian with every beat.
"This… must be my fate."
"How could the Gold-Greedy Monster lie down peacefully in his coffin?"
***
“Eun Baek-jung, step down!”
“Get out, Eun Baek-jung!”
“Resign!”
“Leave at once!”
At the main headquarters of the Eunpa Merchant Group in Luoyang. Just as its past glory suggested, the grounds were truly enormous. And now, that vast headquarters was completely surrounded by hundreds of merchants. Branch members, owners of inns and money houses under the branches, former members who had been driven out after offending Eun Baek-jung—the fury of the people was so great that even the officials responsible for maintaining order simply stood by and watched.
“Was it really necessary to go this far?”
“Eun Baek-jung is the kind of man who will use any means necessary to keep his position. If we had accepted a separate promise and entered alone, there’s no telling what he might have done.”
“Still, it’s too noisy. It’s giving me a headache.”
“Haha, my apologies. It will be over soon.”
Even in the face of Bing Ok-yeon’s curt response, Cheong-san merely offered a gentle smile. The only one sending him a look of utter disbelief was Jin-pa. She simply could not understand the boundless goodwill he directed toward Bing Ok-yeon.
“Hoo… The heat is so intense it feels like my skin might peel off.”
Bing Ok-yeon opened her parasol and murmured softly.
“It really is hot…”
Her gaze rested on the main building visible beyond the front gate. One of its windows was open, and everyone present could tell that someone was watching them from inside.
“I’ll step away from the sun for a moment. If Eun Baek-jung sends word of surrender, please call for me.”
“Understood, my lady. Take care.”
“What…? No, how can the person in charge just leave?! Young miss!”
Leaving Jin-pa’s frantic calls behind, Bing Ok-yeon moved to the opposite side of the protesters. By then, the figure at the window had already disappeared.
After walking for some time, she reached a narrow alley that had been completely emptied of people due to the massive demonstration.
“You called for me?”
There stood an old man wearing golden robes, hands clasped behind his back.
“Last time you called for me, so this time I called for you.”
“Did this young lady ever call for you, sir?”
“Playing innocent even now? After driving me into heart demons.”
“Oh my, heart demons? How truly… unfortunate.”
“Heh heh… Your skill with gold is quite impressive.”
“Thank you. By the way, I heard you were going to wash your hands with gold dust. So today will be your last, I take it?”
“That’s right. Today is the end.”
Geum Man-deuk moved his still-trembling hand behind his back. It was his right hand.
“I’ll yield three moves to my junior. And I hope you won’t insult me by claiming you know no martial arts.”
“…”
Bing Ok-yeon closed her parasol. As she gripped it and tilted her body, the coquettish demeanor she had shown until now vanished completely. Her aura sharpened into a dagger and shot forward.
“So that is the real you!”
“Last time, out of deep respect for your connection with my grandfather, I let you go peacefully.”
“Heh heh, arrogant wench. I am the Ten Thousand Gold Old Man, Geum Man-deuk. Come.”
The Gold-Greedy Monster’s voice rang low. There was neither anger nor impatience in it—only the heavy, grinding friction of an ancient stone rolling across the earth.
“Reverse Blood Sect Leader, Bing Ok-yeon.”
She answered briefly. With her parasol closed, she shifted her toes half a step forward. That single step was the beginning. It was as graceful as a butterfly fluttering its wings—less like the opening of a fight and more like a dancer changing position during the intermission of a banquet.
The parasol opened halfway. Its ribs stood straight, slicing through the air and splitting the wind into thin layers.
Tap—
A light sound. Yet one that carried a spine-chilling killing intent.
“…!”
Startled, Geum Man-deuk raised his arm to block. The killing intent mixed with bone-piercing cold made his fist shoot out on instinct. His fist struck the tip of the parasol, producing a short, metallic clash of energy.
“Didn’t you say you would yield three moves?”
Bing Ok-yeon rested the parasol on her shoulder and smiled sweetly.
“Hoo…”
His feet had not been pushed back even half an inch. Still, the fact that he had immediately broken his word about yielding was undeniable.
“Such arrogance suits you well.”
Bing Ok-yeon moved in again. This time, a continuous series of techniques flowed forth. The parasol opened, closed, and through the gaps it created, the wind brushed past. Despite her relaxed appearance, there was not the slightest mercy. Her opponent was clearly a master far superior to her. She pressed him relentlessly, giving him no breathing room. She erased angles, stole space, and refused to let him steady his breath. Every movement was dazzlingly beautiful.
“Hahaha… Only today do I feel as if my eyes have truly been opened.”
While casually deflecting her ceaseless barrage with one hand, Geum Man-deuk marveled at the vastness of the world.
“However—”
Even within a downpour that could tear flesh with the slightest graze, Geum Man-deuk did not retreat. Instead, he advanced—one step, then another.
Thud.
His single arm swept through the air. Though it did not make direct contact, the air itself collapsed and vibrated. Bing Ok-yeon’s parasol was swept aside. Geum Man-deuk had received her strike, but she could not do the same. No matter how much she trained, her muscles refused to grow firm. Her skin would not toughen. Without inner energy, Bing Ok-yeon’s body was no different from a delicate flower in a greenhouse. There was simply no room for her to withstand the blow of a far stronger master.
“You misjudged me.”
Geum Man-deuk spoke in a low voice.
“Even with only one arm, I would never lose to a greenhorn like you.”
His fist flew out again. Faster and heavier than before. Bing Ok-yeon took a step back. Her skirt fluttered like blooming flowers. Her feet made no sound as they touched the ground. It might have looked like composure, yet having lost the initiative once, she could find no opening to counterattack. Geum Man-deuk had only one arm, yet his dominance had not diminished in the slightest. The more he layered attack upon attack, the heavier the air became with each strike.
“Heh heh… Behold.”
He said.
“This is the final fist of Geum Man-deuk.”
His energy surged for a single moment. It was the wild, uncontrolled power typical of one lost to heart demons. Nevertheless, Bing Ok-yeon’s pupils trembled. She had no way to receive that power. She focused entirely on twisting her body to evade.
Bing Ok-yeon did not lose concentration. Her eyes relentlessly tracked the Gold-Greedy Monster’s hand movements. Even as the exchange grew so dizzying that the slightest slip could end her in an instant, she searched for the tiniest—yet unmistakable—gap to counter.
Geum Man-deuk’s movement lagged by a single beat.
Now!
The parasol, folded into a straight line, crossed paths with the Gold-Greedy Monster’s fist. The tip, filled to the brim with her chilling yin energy, touched the old man’s shoulder. At the same moment, the old man’s fist—harder than an iron cauldron lid—slammed into the slender woman’s abdomen.
“Keuk…!”
Bing Ok-yeon lost her grip on the parasol and was sent flying. A single clean hit. That alone brought the agony of her entire inner energy scattering.
“Uwek!”
She vomited a mouthful of red blood. Even the metallic stench of blood was beautiful, evoking a decadent aesthetic.
“Gold-Greedy… Monster…”
While Bing Ok-yeon was coughing up blood, Geum Man-deuk could not move. One might think it was the composure of a master, but that was clearly not the case. Her parasol was still embedded in the old man’s shoulder, and his eyes had turned pitch black, staring into some distant place. The deadly poison had pierced straight to his marrow.
Another scene overlapped before his eyes.
A snowstorm. A road leading beyond the borders. No—even before reaching beyond the borders, a road that had not even left Shaanxi. A man turning back with a smile. The only friend he had shared brotherly affection with throughout his life. His brother.
—I understand, my brother. The weight of the gold you carry.
At that moment, his fist drooped lifelessly.
Bing Ok-yeon staggered to her feet. Forcing her trembling legs, which shook like aspen leaves, to obey, she slowly advanced. She moved forward again and again, until she stood before the old man who was reaching out toward something invisible.
“The first was my grandfather’s forgiveness, but…”
She pulled the parasol free. The old man’s body shuddered, and light returned to his eyes. The parasol folded completely. Then it shot forward like a sword.
“The second is my retribution…”
It was not fast. Yet it could not be avoided.
Thud—
The tip of the parasol touched Geum Man-deuk’s chest. One inch beside his heart. Exactly where the golden note had been embedded. Geum Man-deuk’s eyes widened.
“…Ah…”
He tried to take a step back, but his body would not listen. The heart demons had finally claimed him.
Bing Ok-yeon’s eyes no longer looked at the old man. She withdrew her parasol and turned her head. Behind her came the sound of something collapsing.
“Brother—”
It was a heavy, irreversible sound.
“Arrogance backed by skill,”
Bing Ok-yeon said quietly,
“is simply called confidence.”
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Then, with heavy yet graceful steps, she walked away.