Is This Really Your Son, Uncle?
Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
Three consecutive sharp whistles sliced through the air. Im Bukjin’s arm blurred as he whipped it forward, launching hidden weapons with pinpoint accuracy.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Small flying daggers buried themselves deep into a tree trunk over thirty meters away.
"Hmm, not bad," Bukjin muttered, nodding in satisfaction.
He had only been running the Twin Swallows in Flight app on his smartphone for about two hours, but it had already allowed him to master the fundamental techniques of projectile launching, achieving a respectable level of accuracy and power.
Twin Swallows in Flight
Basic hidden weapon mastery achieved. Accuracy and projectile velocity increased by 15%.
Bukjin judged that if he continued training like this, surpassing Jo Muyang’s skill level wouldn't be an issue. However, one concern weighed on his mind.
I’m a swordsman. If Master finds out I’ve been practicing hidden weapons, won't he be furious?
The thought made him uneasy. During the Si-geom-ji-yak, Jeong Sam-seok had cut down three veteran masters in a single breath. A deep-seated fear of his master lingered in a corner of Bukjin's heart.
Teacher Jeong is the kind of man who might actually kill someone if he gets angry enough...
Just as Bukjin was lost in thought, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from around the manor. The distant main gate was slammed open, and over a hundred people came charging in. Among them were a dozen experts in the Martial Warrior Realm.
Leading the pack was a short, stout old man with white hair, scurrying forward in a frantic hurry.
"Which fearless bastard dared to lay a hand on my son!"
The old man’s face, usually full of dignity, was now contorted with rage. This was Jo Tagon, the Chairman of the Cheonrihaeng Merchant Alliance. While Bukjin had been busy disciplining Jo Muyang and learning the Twin Swallows in Flight, news of the incident had already reached him.
The Chwihyeon Manor was crawling with hidden sentries. The moment their young master, Jo Muyang, was suppressed, the report was sent straight to Jo Tagon.
When he received the news, Tagon had been in the middle of taking a stamina-enhancing tonic. He had just spent a staggering 500 gold to secure a night with Unmong City's most popular beauty and was in the middle of his "preparations." But the moment he heard his son was in trouble, he dropped everything and sprinted here with his alliance's top experts.
The perimeter of Chwihyeon Manor was already under a tight blockade.
"I don't care who you are! Since you touched my son, you will pay the price! Even if City Lord Im himself comes to beg for your life, there will be no mercy!" Jo Tagon roared.
He was brimming with confidence. As the wealthiest man in Unmong City and the master of the Cheonrihaeng Merchant Alliance, his financial power was sky-high, and he maintained excellent relations with the high nobility. Because of this background, even the City Lord of Unmong City couldn't treat him lightly.
Furthermore, he had over three hundred experts retained as house guests within his alliance. Ten of them had reached the Martial Warrior Realm. This was his true capital. He had already made up his mind while running here: he would destroy whoever touched his son, no matter the cost. It didn't matter who the opponent was.
Stepping into the courtyard, Jo Tagon saw a figure collapsed on the ground, groaning in agony. The person's face was swollen like a pig's head, and their arms and legs were twisted at grotesque, unnatural angles.
Who is that guy? And where is my son? Tagon scanned the area frantically.
"F-Father... Save me!"
Seeing his father arrive, Jo Muyang wailed like a frightened child. After returning from his training with the Am-ok Sect, Muyang had thought he knew everything there was to know about the world. In truth, he had looked down on his father, Jo Tagon, seeing him as nothing more than an old man indulging in wine and women in a small backwater like Unmong City. He believed the Cheonrihaeng Merchant Alliance would only truly shine once it was in his hands.
But at this moment, seeing Jo Tagon felt like meeting a radiant celestial god descending from the heavens.
Startled by the voice, Jo Tagon looked closer at the mangled heap on the ground. Finally, he realized that the swollen, unrecognizable face belonged to his own son.
"M-Muyang! My boy! Who... Who did this to you?! I'll never let them get away with this!"
Seeing his son's wretched state, Tagon’s heart wrenched. He rushed toward Muyang like a mother bird frantic to protect its chick.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a small silver arrow whistled toward the stout old man.
Clang—!
One of the Martial Warrior experts from the alliance blurred into motion, intercepting the silver arrow before it could strike Tagon.
"Chairman, be careful," the expert warned.
Only then did Jo Tagon, who had been blinded by his son's condition, notice the presence of a young man standing nearby. Unlike the other swordsmen of the alliance, this youth was wearing an academy uniform.
"Haha, Uncle Jo. It seems we meet again," Bukjin said with a relaxed smile.
Bukjin had known the news of him disciplining Jo Muyang would spread quickly. He was someone whose mind worked exceptionally well in these situations; his judgment was lightning-fast. In fact, the reason he had stayed at Chwihyeon Manor was specifically to wait for Jo Tagon to show up.
"Y-You...? Nephew Im?"
Jo Tagon thought the voice sounded familiar, and after taking a closer look, he was struck with shock. He already knew Bukjin. In fact, Bukjin had visited the Jo estate just three hours ago to collect a debt.
Jo Tagon had another son. That son had participated in the badge auction Bukjin held during the Academic & Martial Arts Competition preliminaries, borrowing a massive sum of 350 gold to purchase a badge from Bukjin. When Bukjin first came to collect, Tagon had pretended not to be home, forcing Bukjin to leave empty-handed.
However, when Bukjin visited again three hours ago, Tagon had greeted him with extreme warmth. He had personally come out to meet him, apologized profusely, and even paid an extra 50 gold in interest. The reason was simple.
Although Jo Tagon hadn't attended the Si-geom-ji-yak, as the wealthiest man in Unmong City, he knew exactly what had happened that night at the government office. Specifically, he was terrified after hearing that Jeong Sam-seok had cut down three veteran swordsmen, including Myeong Won-san, with a single strike.
The Myeong family wasn't from Unmong City, but they were a massive power in Pung-eo Province that far outstripped the Cheonrihaeng Merchant Alliance. Myeong Won-san had been one of their elders. The fact that Jeong Sam-seok hadn't hesitated to kill such a formidable figure for Bukjin’s sake made Tagon realize he had no choice but to pay his debt.
Jo Tagon was a man who valued his life above all else. That was why he had paid the interest and sent Bukjin off with sweet words—all to unburden his mind of a heavy weight. Feeling relieved, he had spent 500 gold to buy a night with a beauty to reward himself for his hard work.
But who could have predicted this? Only three hours later, he was facing Bukjin again—the one person he least wanted to meet.
No matter how calculating and cunning Jo Tagon was, he couldn't help but panic in the face of such an unexpected situation. It was obvious to anyone that his precious son, Jo Muyang, had been thrashed by Bukjin.
How on earth am I supposed to handle this?
Cold sweat poured down Tagon’s forehead. Despite the stamina tonic making his legs feel strong moments ago, the sight before him made his knees buckle regardless of the medicine's effects.
Seeing Tagon’s reaction, Bukjin flashed a pleasant smile.
"Uncle Jo, what was that you said just now? About 'never letting them get away with this'?"
"A-Ah... That, well..."
Tagon stammered, swallowing hard. Then, he suddenly forced an awkward, toothy grin.
"Haha! Nephew Im, you must have misheard me! What I meant was that I won't let my troublemaker of a second son get away with his antics! I was just wishing my son would study and train as diligently as you do, Nephew!"
Tagon squeezed every ounce of his wit to come up with that answer. Hearing this, Bukjin gave the collapsed Jo Muyang a light poke with the toe of his boot.
"Uncle Jo, is this dog-like bastard really your son?"
"Um..."
If the person lying there hadn't been Jo Muyang, Tagon would have given up long ago. But Jo Muyang was his eldest son, the one he had poured his heart and soul into raising.
"Y-Yes, that's right! This young fool must have committed some unspeakable wrong, so it's only natural that Nephew Im gave him a lesson! Haha! You did well to educate him! Though it seems you were a bit... thorough... I'm sure it's a lesson he'll never forget!" Tagon chirped.
Hearing those words, Bukjin couldn't help but admire the sheer thickness of Jo Tagon’s skin. Bukjin had always thought no one could be more shameless than himself, but in front of this old fox, he felt he still had much to learn.
Jo Muyang, lying on the ground, nearly fainted from pure rage upon hearing his father's words. But through their conversation, he finally realized he had messed with the wrong person. No, strictly speaking, from Muyang's perspective, it wasn't that he had messed with the wrong person—it was that a person he should never have touched had walked right up to him and forced him to mess with them.
Just who the hell is this brat in the academy uniform?!
Jo Tagon’s chest felt tight with anxiety.
"I'm tired of listening to useless chatter. Why don't you ask this idiot yourself what he's done?" Bukjin said with an arrogant, bored expression.
As the man who held the title of Unmong City's greatest delinquent, Bukjin had to keep up his act to protect his identity.
A short while later.
Jo Tagon finally learned the full scope of the situation. As he looked at the corpses of his favorite concubine and his daughter, his face flushed a deep, angry purple. It was clear he was enraged to his very core.
This unfilial wretch! His jealous mother must have put him up to killing them!
Tagon realized that if Bukjin hadn't intervened today, he would never have known that Jo Muyang was the one who murdered his concubine and daughter. Muyang undoubtedly intended to pin the entire blame on the Gale Brother Bandits.
A massive surge of fury rose within Jo Tagon. But when he looked at Muyang’s broken limbs and his horribly swollen face, his heart softened once again.
"Nephew Im, I will handle this matter personally. Is that alright with you?" Tagon asked, forcing a smile toward Bukjin.