Chapter 28: The Fist King Welcomes You
The Fist King Welcomes You
Episode 28: The Fist King Welcomes You
"What bold words. Truly impressive. I think they might be the most memorable I've heard in my life. Spoken without courtesy or forethought. But save such talk for when you've got the skill to back it up."
The belated retort slipped from Guyang Saeng's lips. Having regained his composure, he spoke again.
"Let's continue this inside."
As Guyang Saeng turned toward the Silver River Merchant Group, Dan Woo-seong called out sharply.
"Guyang Saeng, I never said you could leave. You can't outrun me with your Lightfoot Technique, and fleeing back to your clan is impossible. You'll answer for your words right here."
If Guyang Saeng entered the merchant group's premises, he might take hostages or carry out the massacre he'd threatened to pin the blame on Dan Woo-seong.
Guyang Saeng glanced back.
"Didn't I tell you? The Imperial Council stands behind me. I've already declared my intention to invite you there. If things escalate, who do you think will suffer?"
"You will."
"Why?"
"Because you're weak."
Dan Woo-seong spread his arms wide to either side. A sharp crack echoed from his forearms. Keeping his gaze fixed, he rolled his neck from side to side.
Then he smiled.
Guyang Saeng frowned.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm no saint. Beating down trash like you is one of life's greatest pleasures. Call it an indispensable hobby."
Guyang Saeng stood frozen for a moment before abruptly appearing right in front of Dan Woo-seong.
He reached out to seize Dan Woo-seong's shoulder—but in the same instant, Dan Woo-seong had already shifted positions, now standing where Guyang Saeng had been.
They gauged each other's speed.
Then Guyang Saeng kicked off the ground, pivoting midair before darting toward the Silver River Merchant Group with his Lightfoot Technique. With each step, he soared seven paces forward. By his third stride, he stopped himself.
Dan Woo-seong descended from the air and spoke softly.
"Running like a rat now?"
The crowd scattered like startled birds as the Grand Prince of the Silver River Merchant Group faced off against an unfamiliar middle-aged man. Yet despite their retreat, they peeked from windows and alleyways, holding their breath as they watched.
Guyang Saeng scanned his surroundings.
He was a man who prized his dignity above all else. His long-term plan had been to systematically dismantle the Five Great Clans—but the Grand Prince had become an unexpected obstacle.
"Grand Prince..."
Guyang Saeng opened his mouth as if to speak, then inhaled quietly. The torrent of threats he'd prepared died in his throat. Instead, his palms darkened with a thick, venomous green glow.
It was the Toad Poison Palm, a secret poison technique passed down only to the leaders of the Guyang Clan. He had trained in it alone, intending to use it against the Five Great Clan heads—but now, he was forced to unveil it prematurely.
The poison palm was lethally efficient, but it came with a price: the user had to accumulate toxins in their own body, suffering headaches and backlash. Using it now was wasteful. Ideally, he would have built up the poison gradually after defeating each clan head—but that plan had failed.
Unleashing his trump card meant acknowledging the Grand Prince as a worthy adversary. If he could land even a single strike or graze any part of Dan Woo-seong's body, victory would be his.
But that was only Guyang Saeng's assumption—Dan Woo-seong had other plans.
Guyang Saeng lunged forward, weaving through footwork techniques.
The moment Dan Woo-seong sensed something amiss, he stomped forward with Lightning Foot.
CRACK!
Guyang Saeng instinctively raised his hands to block—revealing his poison-laced palms.
'Poison Palm...'
No need to adjust tactics, then.
Dan Woo-seong had faced poison arts countless times in his past life.
As Guyang Saeng feinted wildly before thrusting both palms forward, Dan Woo-seong met them head-on.
CRACK!
Four hands locked together.
Guyang Saeng tilted his head slightly, pouring out the Toad Poison.
'Is he an idiot...?'
Then Dan Woo-seong twisted his grip, locking their hands together.
Poison clashed against lightning.
Had Dan Woo-seong not reached the eighth stage of the White Lightning Ten Stages, he might have opted for a prolonged battle. But his hands were already saturated with White Lightning Energy. Every time the poison tried to seep into his meridians, it was incinerated by the lightning.
Soon, a foul stench rose from Guyang Saeng's hands.
His eyes widened.
The two men stood close enough to feel each other's breath.
As Guyang Saeng's mouth twitched—preparing to spit poison-laced saliva—Dan Woo-seong yanked him forward and headbutted him.
THUD!
Guyang Saeng's head snapped back. A gulp followed as he swallowed his own venom.
All the while, their internal energies clashed.
Then, with a sickening crunch, Dan Woo-seong's grip shattered Guyang Saeng's fingers.
Energy or not, Dan Woo-seong overpowered him with sheer physical strength. Guyang Saeng had focused solely on his poison, while Dan Woo-seong countered with both internal and external force.
Another snap—Guyang Saeng's wrists bent unnaturally. Then Dan Woo-seong clenched his fist, crushing Guyang Saeng's hand like dough.
Guyang Saeng didn't scream.
Years of poison training had numbed him to pain.
But his hands were now ruined beyond repair.
Only then did Dan Woo-seong release him, crouching to meet the kneeling man's gaze.
"You're weak."
Guyang Saeng replied hoarsely,
"Compared to you, yes. But what will you do about the Imperial Council now that you've done this?"
"Is now really the time to worry about me?"
"Not particularly. Hah... my headache's gone. Only by expelling the poison could I relieve it. Becoming stronger is such a tedious affair."
"That's your martial art's flaw—and your own reliance on shortcuts. Your temperament and skills must've landed you at the bottom of the Imperial Council. No wonder you were mocked. Why blame the dead Guyang-hoo and his defeated son?"
"Enough nonsense. Just kill me."
Dan Woo-seong studied his expression.
"Right here?"
Guyang Saeng nodded.
"Here is fine."
More afraid of losing face than his life, it seemed. Dan Woo-seong shook his head.
"No. You're coming with me to the Imperial Council."
"I beg you—"
"I owe you no favors."
"Why drag me there?"
"You know why. You'll repeat your threats to them. If the Imperial Council sides with you, I'll gladly witness their strength firsthand. How's that for an offer?"
As Guyang Saeng opened his mouth to protest, Dan Woo-seong seized him by the hair and dragged him toward the Silver River Merchant Group.
Bystanders peeked from hiding spots as Guyang Saeng was hauled away like a sack. When he tried to resist with his still-functional legs, lightning energy surged from Dan Woo-seong's grip.
"Ghk—!"
Dan Woo-seong walked on, unfazed.
"What's wrong? Headache acting up?"
Guyang Saeng passed out mid-sneer.
The unconscious Guyang Saeng was flung through the Silver River Merchant Group's gates, tumbling across the ground several times.
Men waiting in the courtyard rushed out.
"Clan Leader!"
They froze mid-step.
Dan Woo-seong strode in after tossing Guyang Saeng, eyeing the Guyang Clan warriors coldly.
In response, the Silver River Merchant Group's escort team and the Double Report Brothers surrounded them. If things escalated, they were ready to slaughter every last one on the Grand Prince's command.
Dan Woo-seong addressed the Guyang warriors.
"Kneel. The look on your faces makes me want to treat you the same way I did Guyang Saeng."
When the youngest escort team member started to kneel, Mok In-seop smacked the back of his head.
"What are you doing?"
The Guyang warriors knelt, one daring to ask,
"Is our Clan Leader alive?"
Dan Woo-seong snorted.
"For now. Mok In-seop, prepare a carriage outside. No driver needed."
"Understood."
Dan Woo-seong turned back to the warriors.
"He threatened to massacre my merchant group and pin it on me. You'll go to the Imperial Council and repeat every word he said."
One warrior spoke up hesitantly.
"The Imperial Council isn't a fixed organization like the Murim Alliance. It's a rotating gathering hosted by the Four Great Clans."
"The nearest is the Moyong Clan, then."
"Yes."
Though the Moyong Clan's roots lay in Liaoning, their martial branch had settled south of the Yangtze.
Dan Woo-seong nodded.
"Then we head to the Moyong Clan."
Lee Hwa-eon stepped forward from the sidelines.
"Brother, are you sure? Is there anything else you need?"
"Summarize today's events and report them to the Murim Alliance. Include Guyang-hoo's actions, the duel with his sons, and Guyang Saeng's threats—how he planned to slaughter us and frame me. Add that he tried coercing me into the Imperial Council under this pretext."
"Understood."
Inside the rattling carriage, Dan Woo-seong sat with his arms crossed, observing the Guyang warriors and their unconscious leader. The spacious carriage could seat four, so one uninjured warrior sat across from him.
The other two drove.
Thus, Dan Woo-seong traveled toward the Moyong Clan surrounded by enemies—with Guyang Saeng in tow.
When Guyang Saeng regained consciousness, he rasped,
"Where are we going?"
"The Moyong Clan."
Guyang Saeng glared at his clansmen, silently demanding action. Dan Woo-seong cut in.
"If Guyang Saeng dies here, none of you are needed. I'll kill you all. If you try suicide, I'll stop you. I won't repeat myself—your lives depend on it."
One warrior avoided Guyang Saeng's gaze and sighed.
Guyang Saeng turned to another.
"Fetch me water."
The man replied stiffly,
"There is none."
"Then get some."
The warrior glanced at Dan Woo-seong before answering,
"The Grand Prince likely won't permit it."
Dan Woo-seong patted the man's head mockingly.
"You don't act like Guyang Clan warriors. Refusing your own Clan Leader so coldly?"
He grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked.
"...Are you assassins?"
The warrior across from him paled. Without hesitation, Dan Woo-seong channeled lightning energy into the man's skull.
"AAARGH—!"
The carriage lurched violently as the man went limp.
"Whoa—!"
The drivers struggled to calm the spooked horses before stopping. Dan Woo-seong spoke calmly.
"Keep moving. It's nothing."
As the carriage resumed, Dan Woo-seong addressed the remaining warrior.
"Answer me. Are you hired killers?"
The man replied simply,
"Yes."
Dan Woo-seong smirked.
"So you planned to have assassins clean up if I refused. Convenient, isn't it? After slaughtering my people, they'd kill you too—tying up loose ends. No messy aftermath, no worried families. Typical of the White Path. You understand, don't you?"
As Dan Woo-seong laid out the scenario, the assassin flicked a glance at Guyang Saeng.
Dan Woo-seong leaned back.
"Three assassins, eight cripples, and one corpse. What a lovely travel party. Welcome, assassin."
"...Yes."
"Not happy to be here?"
"...Happy enough."
"Good."
Dan Woo-seong crossed his arms again, leisurely enjoying his first carriage ride in a long time.