Chapter 13
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 6.1
Chapter Title: Mi Family Clan
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The funds for establishing the branch had doubled—a definite piece of good news.
It meant they now had twice as many promising options to choose from.
With the entire city of Juyang in chaos thanks to the bandits, it was only natural to hesitate before making any hasty investments.
An Hoe paid a visit to Wang Sam, who was lost in thought.
"Let's invest aggressively."
"There are too many uncertainties."
"It's fine. If things go south, I'll take full responsibility."
"..."
Wang Sam fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't out of sheer disbelief.
He had heard from the family head, An Yeong, just how exceptional the young master was.
In fact, he even knew some of the truth behind the young master's meeting with the White Crane Elder.
After all, it was Wang Sam himself who had delivered the letter sent by the Elder after becoming Prime Minister—what more needed to be said?
The reason he was at a loss for words was that he had just glimpsed the young master's true character.
Even in a situation that could turn dicey, for him to speak up like that meant he was willing to shoulder the blame no matter how it played out.
That was no decision an ordinary person could make, regardless of age.
An Hoe smiled faintly at Wang Sam's stunned expression.
"I've been sitting pretty as branch manager without doing a thing until now. Time to take responsibility for a decision like this."
"...Understood. We'll proceed as you say, young master."
"I appreciate it."
Wang Sam said no more on the matter.
He had decided to respect the young master's judgment to the fullest.
With the intelligence he had gathered so far, Wang Sam began scouting locations for the branch.
A few employees voiced concerns, but as Wang Sam threw himself into the task with enthusiasm, the complaints soon faded away.
It wasn't long before they managed to snag a prime spot.
Thanks to the unsettled times, they picked up a distressed property at a bargain price.
The site had previously housed a thriving shop, so parts of the building could be repurposed as-is.
Under Wang Sam's lead, the shop's staff buzzed with activity.
An Hoe, meanwhile, was just as busy in his own way.
He had infiltrated the inner citadel, where Juyang City's city lord held court.
The authority of a provincial city lord was far greater than one might expect.
Acting in the royal family's stead, the lord collected taxes, trained troops, and maintained order and economic stability.
Despite the bandit stronghold's damage snowballing out of control, the city lord's inaction struck An Hoe as suspicious.
"Not even bothering to hide."
The citadel crawled with martial artists who looked like they were from the Mi Family Clan.
Even though the government offices weren't short on martial cultivators, An Hoe pegged them as Mi clansmen from their attire alone.
Dressed in fine silk robes instead of official garb, they strutted about like they owned the place.
"No wonder the city lord's intimidated..."
There weren't many Mi martial artists inside, but their forces were formidable.
Three peak experts and over ten first-rate warriors.
Especially the middle-aged peak expert with graying hair—he exuded an aura all his own.
Given the right spark, he could ascend to the superlative realm any moment.
"That must be the one in charge here."
An Hoe watched him briefly before melting back into the shadows.
Jang Suk.
A collateral branch member of the Mi Family, he also served as vice leader of the clan's prestigious Eight Battalions' Third Battalion.
With his exceptional martial prowess, sharp instincts, and unyielding sense of duty, he was the perfect pick for critical missions.
That's why he had been chosen to fully subjugate the city lord.
"You'd best not try any tricks!"
"...Understood."
As the bandits ramped up their operations and shook Juyang City, Jang Suk had come to warn the city lord once more.
The city lord, well aware of how deeply the Mi Family had entrenched itself across the city, refrained from any reckless moves.
Still, the commotion in the inner citadel was undeniable, so he felt compelled to crack down on it.
"I should request more men."
Back in his chambers, just as he sat down to pen a letter...
His body spun on instinct, sword whipping out in a flash toward the darkness.
-Whoooosh!-
The sheer force was so immense that, without even generating sword wind, the room's air grew scorching hot.
"Who goes there?!"
His face soured despite unleashing a razor-sharp sword strike.
He had committed fully to the attack, yet his blade tip caught nothing.
Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room.
"Sharp instincts."
"???"
Jang Suk grumbled in confusion at the intruder.
The man's appearance was worlds apart from what he had imagined.
It was a boy, just starting to show the build of a young man.
"You brat! What are you?!"
"Does that matter right now? Your head's about to roll anyway."
"Hah? A crazy little punk!"
Jang Suk was dumbfounded by the boy's mad words, matching his bizarre entrance.
To his eyes, the kid was at best first-rate—nothing more. What gave him the arrogance to act so brazenly?
But the boy's next words forced him to tense up.
"Me, crazy? You're the crazy ones. A martial clan from the jianghu dreaming of the throne? You out of your minds?"
"How do you—?!"
Jang Suk couldn't hide his shock that the boy knew of their secret rebellion.
Before long, thick killing intent began seeping from his body.
"First, I'll lop off your limbs. Then we'll talk."
"Filthy cur. In that case, I'll just take your head and question it."
"Mad bastard!"
Question a severed head? How?
Jang Suk began to wonder if the boy truly was insane.
-Ssssh!-
As if going all out, an ominous energy cloaked Jang Suk's sword.
It looked ready to unleash a massive sword wind and shred the boy's limbs to bits.
But the boy didn't flinch an inch.
As if tension was a foreign concept, he gripped his sword in the same languid pose from his entrance.
-Click.
Jang Suk's eyes narrowed at the sight, his sword's power surging further as the boy drew his blade.
-Fwoooosh!-
"..."
In that instant, dense madness blanketed the entire room.
It was a madness even he— who had weathered the brutal jianghu for decades in service to the Mi Family—had never encountered.
'Like no human... a demon.'
He thought of demons too late, but couldn't follow through.
His vision suddenly lurched wildly, his head crashing and rolling across the floor with a clatter.
Only then did Jang Suk realize his head had been severed from his body.
"I was worried since he hadn't reached the city realm, but this'll do nicely."
'That's just "nice," to him...'
Jang Suk's last thought was one of utter absurdity as he breathed his final breath.
-Thud.
An Hoe picked up the head that had rolled to his feet.
The face, twisted in terror and confusion, was striking in its own way, but An Hoe paid it no mind.
He lifted the head to interrogate it.
Interrogating a severed head? It sounded insane—but not to An Hoe.
"Haven't done this in a while. Hope it works smoothly."
He squinted one eye and grumbled before locking gazes with the severed head.
-Whoooong!-
A blue light flickered in An Hoe's eyes, spreading into the head's sockets.
Soul Subjugation Art.
This was the Soul Subjugation Art An Hoe was wielding.
Among his many talents, it was one he could unleash effortlessly without special preparation.
Unlike the version that broke minds through torture and drugs, An Hoe's was the pinnacle technique—subjugating the soul itself.
Its condition was strict: the user's soul rank had to vastly exceed the target's.
The greater the gap, the more complete the subjugation.
An Hoe's was flawless.
He had reached the Martial God realm, his soul rank topping even demigods.
"Nice. Knew more than I expected."
Sure enough, in less than a minute, An Hoe extracted every scrap of needed intel from Jang Suk's mind.
6장. 미씨 세가.
Starting with Jang Suk, An Hoe swiftly eliminated the Mi Family martial artists infiltrating the citadel.
-Slash!-
"..."
Some died without even realizing how their heads flew.
An Hoe performed the Soul Subjugation Art on several severed heads.
After the fifth, he stopped.
"Nothing new beyond squad leader rank."
The info from the two peak experts after Jang Suk was intriguing.
Each belonged to a different battalion.
What's more, the Second Battalion's squad leader harbored negative views on the rebellion.
Surprisingly, he wasn't alone.
"Didn't see that coming. So many opposing it!"
If the extracted memories were accurate, nearly seventy percent of the Mi Family viewed the rebellion unfavorably.
They weren't plotting it for some grand reason.
It was the iron will of the current Supreme Patriarch, the Blade Lord.
A significant portion of the family head and elders backed his stance.
"Claiming the throne is the clan's long-cherished dream? Has the old fool lost it?"
An Hoe seriously suspected the Blade Lord had gone senile.
Warriors lived longer than commoners, but the Blade Lord had long passed a hundred.
Even transformation realm masters could hit 150, but the brain had limits unlike the body.
To overcome that required the enlightenment realm—a distant goal for the Blade Lord, per the memories.
"If anything, the rumors overhype him."
Jang Suk, not being in a high post, didn't know much about the Blade Lord.
But from Jang Suk's memories, the Blade Lord was every bit the legend.
An Hoe quietly slew the remaining Mi martial artists and sought out the city lord.
The face of Juyang City's lord was etched with fury.
A loyal royalist, he had served the crown faithfully for years.
Even when others skimped on taxes, he paid up fully and slashed citadel expenses to bolster his troops.
The soldiers he had trained over the years were elite, rare even in the capital.
"I raised them to restore order in times of crisis... and now this."
Incongruously, they had become blades aimed at the throne—his life's work crumbling in an instant.
But he had no choice.
The Mi Family held not just him, but his wife and children hostage.
"My death is one thing, but what did my family do to deserve this?"
Overwhelmed by gloom, he drowned his sorrows in drink.
Several bottles emptied, and he slumped headfirst onto the table.
This was unusual.
He could down a whole jar without a hitch, yet a mere few bottles knocked him out.
That's when a shadow appeared at his side.
An Hoe.
He gazed at the sedated city lord with a wry smile.
"Lucky—he's someone I don't have to kill."
Had the lord been colluding with the Mi Family, things would have gotten messy.
Clearing out the Mi forces in the citadel was one thing, but failing to handle the aftermath would alert the snake when beating the grass.
The city lord was perfect for that role. Killing him would complicate everything.
No need for the Soul Subjugation Art—An Hoe trusted him as a true royal servant.
An Hoe placed Jang Suk's head on the table, dipped the quill in its blood, and dashed off a brief letter for the lord.
He brushed off his hands lightly, then addressed the unconscious man.
"When you wake, it'll all be over. Handle the rest."
With that, An Hoe leaped out the open window.
