A Matter of Life and Death
Even though he had no particular desire for a life-or-death duel with Dan Yeop, he decided to accept the young man’s proposal.
“Fine. I have nothing to lose by agreeing to it.”
Soon after, Naeng Han-sang and Dan Yeop stood facing each other in the center of the inner courtyard.
As a senior figure in the martial world, Naeng Han-sang waited for Dan Yeop to make the first move.
However, Dan Yeop—who knew nothing of sparring etiquette—showed no sign of moving.
In the end, Naeng Han-sang struck first.
He gave his sword a light flick, and a streak of white light shot straight toward Dan Yeop.
It was the first form of the Muae Sword Art—Baekil Sanjin.
Dan Yeop casually swung his horizontal blade in a level arc.
Second form of the Jincheonji Dobeop—Hoengso Sanjeol.
Whoooosh—!
A crescent-shaped blade qi surged forth and sliced the white light cleanly in two.
Pa-aat—!
A strange tearing sound rang out as the light exploded in a brilliant flash.
Naeng Han-sang, who had anticipated as much, whipped his ancient sword forward like a thunderbolt.
It was a far more ferocious motion than anything he had shown during his fight with Go Geom-haeng.
Chzzzzzzzzzt—!
Dozens of sword shadows bloomed in the air and hurtled toward Dan Yeop.
It was the second form, Hwangha Iphae. The sword shadows were both more numerous and denser than before.
With an indifferent expression, Dan Yeop unleashed the fourth form of the Jinbaekryu Dobeop—Suunhoe.
A swirling sword curtain wrapped around him like a tornado.
Whiiiiiiiiiing—!
It was incomparably larger and more majestic than the sword vortex Go Geom-haeng had created earlier.
The sword shadows of Hwangha Iphae flying toward it looked like moths rushing into a flame.
In reality, the countless shadows disintegrated helplessly into sparkling motes of light.
The next instant, Naeng Han-sang released the ancient sword from his grip.
Piiiing—.
With a clear ringing sound, the sword enveloped in light flew straight toward the sword curtain.
Dan Yeop’s gaze reflexively flicked to Naeng Han-sang’s empty hand.
‘Sword-binding technique?’
Instinctively sensing danger, Dan Yeop shot upward into the air.
Pa-aat—.
The ancient sword pierced through the sword curtain and passed beneath his feet.
Dan Yeop’s eyes followed the blade.
Just as he thought!
The sword that had flown far away drew a wide arc and came streaking back.
Shuaaaaa—!
This was the legendary Igi Eogeom—telekinetic sword control.
A fierce gleam flashed in Dan Yeop’s eyes.
If his opponent was going to use such an incredible technique, he no longer had any reason to hold back.
He guided his Taeulgi according to the principles of the Muae Sword Art.
First form—Geomgwang Baekpa.
Dan Yeop’s horizontal blade shone with dazzling brilliance in the darkness.
Oooong—!
The glowing blade and the ancient sword collided violently in midair.
Kwaaaang—!
With an explosive boom, Naeng Han-sang’s beloved sword shattered into pieces.
Dan Yeop then descended slowly using the footwork of Heogong Dapbo.
Naeng Han-sang, standing with a pale face as if he had suffered internal injuries, asked,
“What do you call that technique?”
“It is called Geomgwang Baekpa.”
“Indeed, the name suits the martial art perfectly. I have lost. As promised, I will allow Go Geom-haeng to walk his own path.”
“Thank you.”
“Haomun will soon soar into the heavens, I suppose.”
“I hope so. Since this is also a form of fate, please wish us well.”
“Heh heh. Fate, you say.”
A bitter smile rose on Naeng Han-sang’s face.
Since a disciple who had fled from Geomgak had taken refuge in Haomun, it wasn’t entirely wrong to call it fate.
After glancing once at Go Geom-haeng, Naeng Han-sang spoke to Dan Yeop.
“Be wary of the Cheonlyeon.”
“Did they… leak information about Instructor Go to Geomgak?”
“That’s right. They probably don’t want to see Haomun rise.”
“Tsk…”
“I can understand their actions. It’s common for those who have already climbed the ladder to kick it away so that latecomers cannot follow.”
“Still, I don’t understand why they’re so afraid. Even if Haomun rises, compared to the Five Great Sword Factions, we’re nothing more than a drop in the ocean.”
“Even that much is apparently unacceptable to them. The rich always want more, don’t they?”
“Haa! Thank you for telling me. But will Geomgak truly leave Haomun alone from now on?”
“Didn’t I tell you? If I fail, they have no other cards left to play.”
“Please put in a good word for us, Senior Naeng. Make it clear that Haomun has nothing to do with Geomgak’s martial arts.”
“I will make that part perfectly clear. Even if someone from Geomgak comes to pick a fight later, it won’t be because of our martial arts.”
Even Naeng Han-sang could not guarantee whether Geomgak would completely abandon its grudge.
While the misunderstanding about leaking their martial arts had been cleared, that did not mean they had forgiven Go Geom-haeng.
“That alone is enough to be grateful for. The rest, Instructor Go will handle well on his own.”
“Judging by Go Geom-haeng’s martial prowess, there is no need to worry too much.”
In Naeng Han-sang’s eyes, unless it was a formally graduated disciple of Geomgak, no one could defeat Go Geom-haeng.
And it was unlikely that the elders would personally travel all the way to Chang'an Castle just to deal with a single man.
“Thank you for what you did for Jauungak. Once I return and complete my training, I will come to see you again. Take care until then.”
“Yes. Thank you for everything. I wish you great fortune in your martial journey, Senior Naeng.”
Naeng Han-sang silently raised his hand in farewell, then vanished into the darkness.
Go Geom-haeng, who had been forcing himself to stand, finally collapsed onto a garden stone with a deep sigh.
“Haa! I had no idea Geomgak possessed such an expert.”
“Indeed. They say the world is wide and full of hidden masters…”
While Dan Yeop was thinking, ‘Still, it’s fortunate that no one died or was seriously injured because of Geomgak’s business,’ Go Geom-haeng was quietly swallowing the blood rising in his throat.
“Aigoo! It’s a sea of blood, a complete sea of blood.”
Jang Ho, the constable who had stepped onto the veranda, frowned deeply.
There was barely any place to set one’s feet among the bloodstains.
Even Ma Han, the constable in the courtyard, added his own comment.
“It’s no joke over here either. The whole place is littered with corpses. By the way, who are all these people? They look like guards, but then again they don’t.”
At that moment, County Magistrate Do-gyeom emerged from the room and said,
“Those wearing blue battle robes are government soldiers. The ones in red are wandering martial artists recently hired by Lord Yang Jin.”
Following Do-gyeom, Dan Yeop also stepped out onto the veranda.
Do-gyeom turned to him and asked,
“How many perpetrators do you think there were?”
“For now, the footprints left inside the inner quarters belong to two people. After examining the soldiers and guards, I should be able to give a rough estimate.”
“We must identify the culprits as quickly as possible. Lord Yang Jin is a relative of Consort Yang Suk-bi. The imperial palace will be watching the results with bated breath.”
“Understood.”
Dan Yeop answered, but in truth he wasn’t expecting much.
If it hadn’t been for his sworn brother Hwang Bi-won, a high-level martial artist, during the previous Nakan County Office incident, they would still be unable to even sketch the perpetrator’s outline.
He wasn’t sure if such luck would follow them this time as well.
Soon afterward, County Magistrate Do-gyeom hurriedly returned to the Jangan County Office, leaving only the constables and patrolmen behind to continue the investigation.
About one shichen later, Jang Ho approached Dan Yeop.
“Constable Dan, if there’s nothing more, shall we pull out?”
“Shall we? But is it really okay to leave things like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re clearly targeting high officials, yet it doesn’t seem like any proper countermeasures have been prepared.”
“We’ll increase patrols.”
“Is that all?”
“What else can we do?”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Unless we somehow knew exactly where the culprits will strike next, all we can do right now is clean up after them.”
“You’re right.”
At that moment, something flashed across Dan Yeop’s mind.
‘Wait… is there really no way to figure out where they’ll strike?’
He realized that even if they couldn’t predict with perfect accuracy, getting even half—or even a quarter—of the targets right might allow them to encounter the culprits.
Dan Yeop returned straight to the Jangan County Office.
He spent the entire morning studying a map of Chang'an Castle, then went to see County Magistrate Do-gyeom after lunch.
Jangan County Office.
Public Affairs Office.
When Dan Yeop arrived, County Magistrate Do-gyeom greeted him with a bright expression.
“Well? Did you find any clues at Lord Yang’s residence?”
“No. More importantly, we still don’t have any eyewitnesses, correct?”
“That’s right. It’s an enormous mansion, and there were no passersby.”
“Exactly. Unlike the Nakan County Office incident, there are no witnesses this time. Constables aren’t fortune-tellers—we can’t identify the culprit just from sword wounds. So I was thinking… what if we pre-select the targets the culprits are likely to strike and place them under surveillance? At the very least, we should be able to learn their martial techniques and physical descriptions.”
“Can you figure out who they will target?”
“We’ll have to start selecting them now. The culprits seem to be going after corrupt high officials who have earned the deep resentment of the common people, don’t they? If we investigate who those people are and pick the worst of the worst—the ones who truly deserve death—and put them under watch, what do you think?”
As Dan Yeop continued speaking, Do-gyeom’s expression grew increasingly strange.
It was a brilliant idea.
In a situation where bloody incidents were clearly going to continue, it was also an effective strategy.
The only problem was the uncomfortable necessity of selecting people who were truly evil and deserved to die.
If word got out that the Jangan County Office viewed certain individuals that way, an uncontrollable storm would descend upon them.
Yet the method was simply too good to dismiss outright.
It would only require pulling a small number of men from the existing patrol force for surveillance duty. It wasn’t particularly difficult.
“I’ll discuss it with County Magistrate Jo.”
“Yes! I’ll wait. However, the longer we delay, the more places we’ll have to investigate, making the case that much harder to solve.”
“I know. It won’t take long. By the way, you really do come up with the most radical ideas.”
Selecting corrupt high officials who deserved death and putting them under surveillance.
It was a brilliant move that Do-gyeom himself would never have thought of even if he died and came back to life.
Jangan County Office.
Main Hall.
Upon hearing Do-gyeom’s report, County Magistrate Jo Mu-jin immediately frowned.
“Good heavens! What are you going to do if those high officials find out we’re surveilling their homes for that reason?”
“However, it is also true that this is the best method if we want to learn the culprits’ techniques and appearances. The risk is high, but so is the potential gain.”
“This really puts me in a difficult position.”
“I felt the same strange mix of emotions when I first heard Constable Dan’s suggestion.”
“This is no simple matter. It would mean the government office is acknowledging and accepting the crimes of high officials. If this leaks out, how will the common people look at us? It would appear as if we knew about their sins and chose to overlook them.”
“But if we do nothing, only high officials will continue to die. The authority of both the imperial family and the government will collapse. The people will end up fearing Cheonlyeon more than the imperial court.”
“Aigoo! You’re driving me insane!”
“Should I tell him to drop the idea?”
Yet Jo Mu-jin could not bring himself to say yes.
The daily pressure from high officials was already unbearable.
“Haa! We will proceed in absolute secrecy. Only an extremely small number of people may know. If this rumor leaks outside, I will send every single person involved to the Anseo Protectorate. Do you understand what that means?”
The Anseo Protectorate was currently at war with the Tibetans. In other words, he was threatening to send them to the battlefield.
“Yes. I will also stake my position on this.”
“You will take direct command. Personally select only those you can trust. If this matter becomes known, both you and I will definitely be exiled to the frontier.”
And they would never be allowed to return to Chang'an Castle again.
County Magistrate Do-gyeom selected Dan Yeop, Jang Ho, Ma Han, and Jin Seung from among the constables.
Together, they began investigating the dark secrets of Chang'an Castle’s high officials.
In just one day, a surveillance list was completed.
In truth, it would have been strange if the constables didn’t know who the corrupt officials were.
These were the very people who had survived various scandals through pardons, reduced sentences, and other measures.
Inside the patrol office after the others had left for the day.
While looking at the list in front of County Magistrate Do-gyeom, Constable Jang Ho grumbled lightly.
“Sir, how can people like this even hold office? Shouldn’t they all be locked up in prison?”
“You—”