Manipulation
Cheon Gae-san, the Pavilion Master of Cheonhwaru, could not comprehend what he had just heard.
"Who died?"
"Assistant Master Bu, sir. The third young master of the Yi Clan came in just now and..."
He heard the story in rough outline. And when it was finished, Jeok Gae-san was not flustered.
He was furious.
"The audacity! To lay a hand on my Cheonhwaru!"
Watching his jaw tremble uncontrollably, Jeom So-i swallowed hard. He had never been a kind-tempered man to begin with, and when he flew into a rage like this, disaster was guaranteed to follow in one form or another.
"Contact Jang Un-ryong."
"Now, sir?"
"What else, are we going to do it in a few days? Right now, you idiot."
Jeom So-i, who had no desire to be caught in the crossfire, scurried down to the lower floor and slipped out the back gate.
Jeok Gae-san's fists shook with rage.
That son of a bitch.
He dared to kill my man?
I'll show him what he's dealing with.
There was a question worth considering at least once.
The three great clans that held Jangryeong Commandery in their grip.
The Three Great Clans of Jangryeong were, without question, rivals. And rival clans inevitably seethed with scheming and manipulation, in both the shadows and the open.
Why did the Pavilion Master of Cheonhwaru take money from the Yi Clan and never repay it?
And why had the Yi Clan failed to properly pressure Cheonhwaru, letting the debt collection drag on day after day?
There was a perfectly sound reason behind all of it.
Behind Cheonhwaru stood the Jang Clan — one of the Three Great Clans of Jangryeong.
To be precise, it was the work of Jang Un-ryong, the second son of the Jang Clan.
So what kind of man was this Jang Un-ryong?
He was often called the de facto young master of the Jang Clan. And with good reason. The eldest son and rightful heir, Jang Un-yeon, currently belonged to the Imperial Sword Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects of the Murim.
He was no mere entry-level disciple — he was the direct disciple of one of the Six Elders of the Imperial Sword Sect.
It was Jang Un-yeon who was praised as a talent of such extraordinary promise that he would one day raise the name of the Imperial Sword Sect to the very pinnacle of the world.
That was precisely why his younger brother Jang Un-ryong had been able to scheme behind the scenes of Cheonhwaru.
Why couldn't the Yi Clan collect its money? Because Jang Un-ryong's own brother belonged to the Imperial Sword Sect — giving the Jang Clan a pretext to intervene, even indirectly.
Having received Jeok Gae-san's orders, Jeom So-i headed straight for the Jang Clan estate, where she was able to meet Jang Un-ryong.
Having heard the whole story, Jang Un-ryong let out a scornful snort.
"The third young master of the Yi Clan? You don't mean that imbecile they call Yi Do."
Yi Do was famous — for all the wrong reasons.
"That fool killed Assistant Master Bu? Haha, well, well. Impressive. They say even a worm wriggles when you step on it — who knew the bastard had that kind of nerve in him? This truly is worth a second look."
"...Well... the young master says he intends to take the whole of Cheonhwaru for himself."
"Take Cheonhwaru? Ha. I assume that was meant as a joke?"
"...I heard him say it himself. With my own ears."
"Then I suppose the little bastard's lost his mind over his first kill. Hey, you there."
At Jang Un-ryong's beckoning, a passing servant hurried over.
"Go to Jeong Rin and deliver a message. He is to go to Cheonhwaru at once and beat the third son of the Yi Clan half to death."
Jeong Rin was one of the Jang Clan's retainers, a martial artist of the Yang Light Dual Emergence realm.
At the stage of opening the middle dantian, he was a martial artist of considerable renown — not just within the Jang Clan, but across all of Jangryeong Commandery.
The servant bowed with fists cupped and dashed off somewhere at once.
Jang Un-ryong smirked.
"There, it's settled. So don't waste any more of my precious time — go wipe down the tables at Cheonhwaru or whatever it is you do."
"...Yes, sir."
Rather unexpectedly, Yi Do was seated in Cheonhwaru, quietly sipping tea.
Half a quarter-hour had passed — nearly half a full hour — and still he had made not the slightest move.
His aura was so bizarre that the martial artists and staff of Cheonhwaru could do nothing at all. They had not even cleared away the corpse of Assistant Master Bu — that said everything.
What on earth is he waiting for?
When he had killed Assistant Master Bu, he'd seemed ready to tear the entire pavilion apart — so why this sudden stillness?
So the time slipped past. Then, at nearly the same moment that Jeok Gae-san — who had been waiting in grim silence on the upper floor — descended, and Jeom So-i returned from the Jang Clan estate, everything began to move.
Jeom So-i arrived alongside a man of heavy features and a hulking frame, and the sword strapped across his back was anything but ordinary.
Jeok Gae-san gestured to those lingering nearby.
"Everyone, out."
No one knew how the situation might turn, but for now, the master of Cheonhwaru was Jeok Gae-san.
At his command, everyone except Jeom So-i and the Jang Clan martial artist filed out of the hall.
Jeok Gae-san asked with a smile.
"Third Young Master of the Yi Clan. Might I have a word?"
Yi Do, seated where he was, gave a curt jerk of his chin — go ahead.
Jeok Gae-san's brow twitched faintly, but he let it pass. Before long, that ill-mannered brat called Yi Do would be beaten senseless and left rolling on the floor anyway.
"I am prepared to overlook the matter of your killing our Assistant Master Bu. Naturally, there must be compensation. The full sum of the money we lent your clan, together with interest — that should suffice."
"So you're saying we trade the money for that bastard's life over there?"
"I see you understand me perfectly — I won't need to repeat myself. Yes, exactly. From this day forward, our Cheonhwaru will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Yi Clan, so you may see yourself out."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you will be beaten half to death by Master Jeong Rin there. You may have heard of him. The Lightning Sword, Jeong Rin — martial artist of the Jang Clan, and a master who has already entered the Realms of Qi Condensation. Since you follow me so well, I trust I won't need to say it twice. Now get out."
Yi Do chuckled and turned his head. His eyes met Jeong Rin's.
Jeong Rin slowly drew the sword from his back and sliced casually through the air beside him.
The table caught within the arc of his blade was cleaved in two — and beyond it, a table utterly beyond any normal reach was severed just as cleanly. And whatever lay beyond that one as well.
By any measure of distance, that was a full four jang. Three tables within those four jang had been split in half.
The release of internal energy had been utterly effortless — and devastatingly powerful.
Entering the Realms of Qi Condensation meant gaining command of not just the lower dantian, but the middle one as well.
It was simple, really.
Once the middle dantian opened, even the smallest wisp of qi could unleash overwhelming force.
Just now, Jeong Rin had cleaved three tables in two with the merest thread of energy.
It was a dazzling display of skill, and Yi Do wore an expression of genuine astonishment.
But his astonishment was of an entirely different species from everyone else's. Yi Do spoke.
"I wonder why they say he can't make a living, when he can perform tricks this well."
"...What did you say?"
"A fine show. Now — if you're quite finished, may I have my turn to speak?"
The second to boil over in fury was Jeong Rin.
Jeok Gae-san spoke.
"Don't. Just tell him to get lost."
Yi Do shook his head.
"I fully understand now — you aren't incapable of repaying the debt, you simply have no intention of paying. So bring me the contract."
"...I beg your pardon? Contract? What contract?"
As though the question itself were absurdly late in coming, Yi Do said:
"The deed of transfer handing over all rights to Cheonhwaru. Fetch it. Now."
"...Have you lost your mind, my lord? Even setting aside whether you could ever repay the debt — do you have any idea what Cheonhwaru is worth? If anything, it is I who ought to be paid."
Yi Do chuckled.
"I haven't the faintest idea what this place is worth, but I've been kept waiting here for roughly half an hour. At one thousand gold coins per quarter-hour, that comes to four thousand gold — plus interest of 8,788 taels. Can you cover all of that?"
"What manner of nonsense is that!"
"It's the nonsense standing right in front of you. I dislike repeating myself too, but I'll make a generous exception this once. A debtor with no intention of repaying, brazenly barking at his creditor even after being granted time in abundance — my patience ran dry long ago. I will be taking Cheonhwaru, all of it. Bring the contract. Now."
Before Jeok Gae-san could even open his mouth, Jeong Rin — who had been silently watching — stepped forward.
"You wretch! From what I hear, you know neither your place nor your bounds. Do you have any idea whose establishment this Cheonhwaru is?"
"Don't drag the conversation out. Get to the point."
"The point? Fine. This Cheonhwaru stands under the protection of our great Jang Clan. To lay a hand on Cheonhwaru means, in the end, to lay a hand on the Jang Clan itself."
"Under your protection? Then this just got easier. As the price of daring to keep me waiting, Cheonhwaru becomes mine — and the debt this place already owes the Yi Clan, you can pay to yourselves."
Every soul in the room stood with their mouth hanging open.
Granted, there were only three of them besides Yi Do — but it was shocking enough. What kind of human being could think that way?
"Jeong Rin, was it? I'll collect those 8,788 taels myself, in person, at the Jang Clan estate. Be sure to tell them I'm coming."
"...Are you... giving me orders?"
Yi Do waved a lazy hand — you're wasting my time, get lost — and Jeong Rin's face contorted.
No. Not merely contorted. A fury so absolute it warped the very structure of his face. Through clenched teeth, Jeong Rin said:
"...So it was true, all the rumors — that the third son of the Yi Clan is spineless, witless, and woefully lacking as a human being. You will count to five. Within that count, you will remove yourself from Cheonhwaru. If you do not, I will shatter your limbs right here, as penalty for daring to insult me."
Yi Do let out a long sigh and slowly rose from his seat.
He gave his clothes a careless smoothing and walked up to Jeong Rin.
Their eyes were level. Yi Do looked at Jeong Rin and asked:
"Count for me."
"...What?"
"Didn't you say you'd count to five? Then count."
"...Have you truly gone insane?"
"Can you not count? Or will you not?"
"..."
"Then allow me to count for you. One. Two. Three. Four. Five."
Jeong Rin stood frozen, dumbfounded, capable of nothing.
But.
Yi Do was not.
"Daring. To insult me. And shatter my limbs. Are you prepared to answer for those words?"
"...What on earth have you been babbling about this whole—"
"Enough. That will do."
Without warning of any kind, Yi Do's fist drove upward.
Paaak—!
Jeong Rin's head snapped skyward. His jaw went numb; his skull felt as though it had been rattled loose. He raised his internal energy and staggered back — and in the same motion, seized his sword.
Striking down the bloodline of the Yi Clan was a heavy burden for a man in Jeong Rin's position, but he had been struck first. He had no choice.
He drew his qi up to its peak.
Now I will beat this madman to a bloody pulp.
Even within the Yi Clan, no one would take this fool's side. And the Jang Clan would hardly restrain Jeong Rin either.
Because.
He now possessed what martial artists prized above all else — just cause.
And then.
Jeong Rin saw it.
Yi Do's two eyes, sunken and glacially cold — and the internal energy coiling around Yi Do's right fist.
A scornful laugh escaped him.
From the look of it, the boy had clearly reached the First Claw of Qi.
There was a distinct gap between what he'd been told and what he sensed — but it didn't matter.
The Physical Realms and the Qi Realms were not divided for nothing.
They were divided because they had to be.
No martial artist of the Three Physical Realms, however brilliant his effort, could defeat one at the threshold of the Qi Realms. Gather fifty of them and they might manage a fight; gather a hundred and they might even win — but there weren't fifty people in this room.
It was laughable.
Did this fool seriously intend to fight me?
So he hadn't simply been ignorant of his place after all.
Yi Do's fist shot out. Jeong Rin reacted — raising his sword in a guard.
The intent was clear: no matter how strong you are, your strength will never touch me.
And this was his single greatest blunder.
Kwaaaaaaang—!!
The sword exploded to fragments, and Jeong Rin's body hurtled backward, smashing through nine tables before slamming into the wall.
Everyone was staring at Jeong Rin. And so no one saw it —
the thread of blood running from the corner of Yi Do's mouth.
He wiped it away roughly and walked toward the fallen Jeong Rin.
Jeong Rin could not rise easily. It defied all reason — but Yi Do's internal energy right now was utterly overwhelming his own.
"What... what in the world just happened...!"
No answer was given.
Yi Do silently took hold of Jeong Rin's right arm.
"Gghk— what... what are you doing!"
No answer. He intended to answer with action alone.
Kkajik—!
The right arm bent in a direction no human anatomy should allow. Then the left arm. Then the right thigh. Then the left thigh.
He had shattered all four limbs.
And he had not the slightest intention of stopping there.
He gathered internal energy into his heel and drove it down with crushing force. The target was Jeong Rin's lower abdomen.
Kwaaaaang—!!
"Kkuuuuaaagh—!"
Vomiting up an enormous gout of blood, Jeong Rin's head dropped limply.
He was not dead — but it was clear he had taken damage very nearly the same as death. And that was only fitting.
His four limbs were broken, and his dantian was broken too.
Yi Do turned his head.
Jeok Gae-san stood there, white with terror.
He strode over and seized the man by the hair.
"You've just shown me something truly delightful."
At this baffling remark, Jeok Gae-san could only gape — but Yi Do's next words left him thunderstruck.
"Who would have thought you were hiding your martial arts. To shatter the limbs of Jeong Rin, the rising star of the Jang Clan, and crush his dantian as well."
Jeok Gae-san's mind went blank.
What on earth is this lunacy saying?
"A man of the Yi Clan's blood cannot simply pass by injustice. And above all—"
At some point, the smile on Yi Do's face had turned utterly, glacially cold.
"Thank you so very much for signing the deed transferring Cheonhwaru into my hands."
Only now did the truth fully land.
This man was insane.
No other word could explain it.
He meant to rewrite the situation entirely.
"...Jeong Rin... is not yet dead. How do you intend to seal his lips?"
At that, Yi Do blinked as though he'd forgotten something, and walked back toward Jeong Rin. Naturally, Jeok Gae-san — whose hair was still clutched in that fist — was dragged across the floor along with him. And soon, Jeok Gae-san saw it.
He saw Yi Do's foot crush Jeong Rin's throat.
Kkajik. The sound of it rang out with horrifying clarity.
"Utterly mad. The man couldn't even move — his limbs and dantian were already broken — and you crushed his throat on top of it."
"....."
No words would come.
Jeok Gae-san himself had already sent every soul in Cheonhwaru out of the building. There was exactly one witness left.
Jeom So-i, standing in the corner with the soul drained from her face.
She had worked here for years — he couldn't even remember her name.
What would happen if Jeok Gae-san had signed the deed handing every right to Cheonhwaru over to Yi Do — and this woman testified that he had killed Jeong Rin on the spot?
Combined with Yi Do's words, that testimony would simply become the truth.
Nothing about it required effort.
A vicious gambling den crawling with madmen.
This is the murim.
"Rest well."
"W-wait, just a moment, please—!"
That was as far as he got.
Yi Do's other hand thrust out straight.
Yi Do's knife-hand.
Kkajik—!
Jeok Gae-san's neck was crushed on the spot.