Chapter 29: The Fist King Hears News
The Fist King Hears News
Episode 29: The Fist King Hears News
"What's the name of your assassination group?"
At Dan Woo-seong's question, the assassin hesitated before reluctantly answering.
"The Gold-Silver Assassin Society. Divided into Gold Killers and Silver Killers. I belong to the Silver Killers."
The name was so absurd that Dan Woo-seong let out a hollow laugh.
"What kind of idiot came up with that?"
"It's simple—we kill for money."
Dan Woo-seong laughed again.
"Guyang Saeng, how much did you pay for all these men?"
Guyang Saeng replied in a calm tone.
"Why do you ask?"
His reluctance to answer made Dan Woo-seong wipe the smile from his face.
"Still got too many intact body parts, huh? Driver, stop the carriage for a moment."
Knowing exactly what kind of man the Grand Prince was, Guyang Saeng had no choice but to answer.
"Eight hundred nyang per head. Three thousand two hundred in total."
Dan Woo-seong crossed his arms and turned to the assassin.
"Does that add up?"
The assassin blinked.
"What do you mean...?"
"Is that the usual rate for a job? Eight hundred nyang per man, you said."
The assassin glanced at Guyang Saeng before answering.
"It's... more than usual."
Dan Woo-seong laughed again—the kind of laugh reserved for truly ridiculous things.
"Assassin."
"Yes."
"Your life was included in that price. Your boss sold you all out. That's the fee for letting Guyang Saeng kill you without protest. How does that feel?"
The assassin's eyes widened instantly.
The two drivers steering the carriage had clearly been listening—they exchanged glances before fixing their eyes back on the road. One of them spat to the side.
Dan Woo-seong sneered at the assassin.
"Eight hundred nyang for a life... What a cheap existence. Should've trained harder. If you were stronger, you wouldn't be selling yourself for scraps. Then again, you're just hired killers—hardly worth calling people."
He clapped slowly, mockingly, at Guyang Saeng and the assassin.
"What impressive lives you lead. You fucking dogs..."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The assassin wiped his face with one hand, then stared silently at Guyang Saeng beside him.
Guyang Saeng frowned back.
Then—
Thud!
The assassin drove his elbow into Guyang Saeng's face. Guyang Saeng instinctively tried to block, only to remember his arms were useless. The blow landed cleanly.
That was the end of it. Dan Woo-seong was watching, after all.
He chuckled.
"The servant strikes the master. Life's unpredictable, isn't it? Ever seen your boss?"
"No."
"What's he like?"
Now effectively a turncoat, the assassin answered truthfully.
"Rumors say he's wealthy and runs the Gold-Silver Assassin Society as a hobby. It's a hierarchical organization—we only ever meet our immediate superior, the squad leader. We don't know who's above him, how many there are, or where they operate. The money we earn can be used to train new assassins, but responsibility falls on each individual."
Dan Woo-seong nodded.
"So catching your boss won't be easy."
"No."
"Got it."
He fell silent again, retreating into his thoughts. After a long pause, the assassin—who had been staring at his dead comrade—spoke up.
"Are you going to kill us too?"
Dan Woo-seong took his time answering.
"Why would an assassin ask that?"
The assassin had no reply.
"We've arrived."
One meal a day. Three horse changes. One corpse buried along the way.
Yet the three surviving assassins and Guyang Saeng—unable to flee—reached the Moo Yong Family estate with Dan Woo-seong.
"Go in."
Dan Woo-seong, stepping down from the carriage, motioned from behind. The assassins knocked on the gate, and servants rushed out—only to recoil in shock at the sight of the haggard Guyang Clan leader.
"Master Guyang!"
One servant sprinted inside to alert the Moo Yong Family head.
For Guyang Saeng, arriving at the familiar estate of the Moo Yong Family, a sliver of hope flickered.
At least my arms will be treated...
The three assassins sighed before escorting Guyang Saeng inside. Dan Woo-seong scanned the surroundings, then strode into the famously prideful Moo Yong estate.
He sent his travel companions ahead to the main hall while he walked slowly, taking in the sights. The martial artists training outside halted their movements, staring silently as the outsider passed.
Rumors said their ancestors were of the Xianbei tribe, but now they were indistinguishable from any other Central Plains martial sect.
When Dan Woo-seong entered the main hall, the assassins stood stiffly in a corner like sacks of grain, while Guyang Saeng sat in a chair as if he were a guest. The assassins wore expressions of intimidation, cowed by the Moo Yong Family's imposing presence.
As people poured in from the inner halls, one man gasped.
"Master, what happened?!"
Before Guyang Saeng could speak, the crowd fell silent, parting to make way. Finally, the Moo Yong Family head, Moo Yong-bin, stepped forward.
At thirty-two, he was far younger than Guyang Saeng and hadn't held his position for long. His features were composed, his demeanor calm—even now, receiving shocking news, his expression remained unreadable.
Moo Yong-bin hesitated before asking, "Senior Guyang, what's the meaning of this? What happened to your arms?"
Though Guyang Saeng was his senior in the martial world, Moo Yong-bin outranked him in the Imperial Assembly.
Guyang Saeng opened his mouth—then, without realizing it, glanced at Dan Woo-seong.
Only then did Moo Yong-bin's gaze shift to him.
"I am Moo Yong-bin. A pleasure."
Dan Woo-seong was inwardly taken aback but kept his tone steady as he introduced himself briefly.
The Moo Yong Family head he remembered wasn't Moo Yong-bin, but presumably his father, Moo Yong-chu. Yet Moo Yong-chu was nowhere to be seen—his son had taken his place. Bringing up family matters now, with Guyang Saeng present, was impossible.
Moo Yong-bin spoke.
"You'll need to explain why you've both come."
Dan Woo-seong said, "Let's hear what Master Guyang has to say first. Go on."
He looked at Guyang Saeng.
Moo Yong-bin gripped Guyang Saeng's shoulder, eyeing his arms.
"These need immediate treatment. Senior Guyang, speak. What happened?"
Guyang Saeng sat like a man possessed, silent. Sensing something amiss, Moo Yong-bin turned to Dan Woo-seong.
"It seems you'll have to explain. Why has the Grand Prince of the Silver River Merchant Group personally escorted Senior Guyang here?"
Dan Woo-seong summarized the events concisely, then gestured to the three Gold-Silver assassins waiting nearby.
"...These are the men Guyang Saeng hired."
Murmurs broke out among the Moo Yong martial artists until Moo Yong-bin silenced them.
"Quiet."
He turned to Guyang Saeng.
"Senior, is this true?"
Guyang Saeng, as if resigned, closed his eyes and shook his head. There was no lying his way out of this—not when the truth was laid bare. Unless Moo Yong-bin decided to slaughter every outsider present, there was no escape.
Opening his eyes, Guyang Saeng looked up at him.
"It's true. You won't help me, will you? I could've made you the next Imperial Assembly leader. The entire Guyang Clan would've backed you. Just... let this slide. I swallowed my pride to beg you here."
Moo Yong-bin's expression shifted to disbelief as he glanced at Dan Woo-seong.
Dan Woo-seong wore a faint smirk throughout Guyang Saeng's plea.
Finally, Moo Yong-so, the family's second-in-command, spoke up.
"What exactly are we supposed to do? The situation's beyond salvage. The Murim Alliance will laugh at us. Brother."
Ignoring his sibling, Moo Yong-bin addressed Dan Woo-seong.
"What brings the Grand Prince here? Fear of retaliation? Or to report the incident?"
Dan Woo-seong stepped closer.
"What would you have done in my place?"
Moo Yong-bin studied him, thinking:
If someone plotted massacre and framed me publicly... killing them would be the only answer. But the Guyang Clan and the martial world's gaze remain. Even I would've spared Guyang Saeng to report this to the Murim Alliance or Imperial Assembly.
He answered carefully.
"I suppose I'd have done the same. Death isn't always the solution."
Dan Woo-seong nodded.
"Then the long journey was worth it."
Moo Yong-bin turned to Guyang Saeng.
"...Senior, why did you do this?"
Guyang Saeng's face twisted.
"You laughed at me."
"When?"
Guyang Saeng roared.
"After the duel! The rumors that I lost to a merchant's son! All the clan heads laughed! 'How could a noble heir lose to a merchant's whelp?' I was humiliated! It was your mockery that drove me to this!"
He lunged forward, aiming to smash his head against the wall—
Moo Yong-bin intercepted him, gripping his shoulder.
"If you die here, I'll be the one they blame."
With a press to Guyang Saeng's pressure points, he rendered him unconscious, then ordered his men,
"Take him away. Guard him—make sure he doesn't die."
Then, to Moo Yong-so:
"Take them too. Same treatment."
"Understood."
Moo Yong-so flashed a prayer gesture before approaching the assassins.
"Follow quietly. It's easier for everyone."
With a wave, Moo Yong-bin dismissed the crowd, then turned to Dan Woo-seong.
"Grand Prince, please sit. My hospitality has been lacking. I apologize."
As Dan Woo-seong took a seat at the table, Moo Yong-bin sat opposite him, studying him intently.
Where did this man come from?
Dan Woo-seong intrigued him.
Moo Yong-bin spoke.
"Grand Prince, if my handling displeases you, say so. I can't kill Guyang Saeng myself—that would burden me with the consequences you feared. But I'll deal with this appropriately. The Imperial Assembly has no place for men like him. You've endured much."
"What will you do?"
Moo Yong-bin sighed.
"The Murim Alliance is better suited for this. Redirecting the Guyang Clan's resentment toward them benefits us both. I'll consult the other clan heads. The Imperial Assembly will suffer, but honor isn't the priority here."
Dan Woo-seong seized the moment to ask,
"Forgive the abrupt question, but..."
"Speak freely."
"Did the previous head, Moo Yong-chu, retire formally?"
Moo Yong-bin's gaze sharpened. A heavy silence lingered before he replied.
"Grand Prince, are your martial world updates delayed?"
"They are."
"My father's been missing for over a year. Not quite two. Normally, more of our family would be present. We're still searching. I live as an unfilial son."
Dan Woo-seong exhaled deeply—a rare show of emotion. The timing aligned eerily with his own rebirth. If Moo Yong-chu had vanished then, it meant he hadn't gone missing.
He'd died alongside the Fist King.