Sorry, but This Is as Far as You Go
The mornings of West Lake were always steeped in silence. The bustling noise of the streets that had filled the night would fade by dawn, and Hangzhou’s still-sleeping avenues would quietly catch their breath amid the pale mist. Right in the middle of that leisurely street sat the West Lake Number One Inn, which stood out all the more thanks to its newly refurbished exterior. The clean wooden framework, walls finished with Blue Steel Stone, and the antique plaque all hinted that this was a place of more significance than a mere inn.
“Ahh… this is nice.”
Having finished his breakfast inside the inn, Nang Hyeon gazed out the window, lost in thought for a moment. An empty bowl sat before him. For the past several days, Nang Hyeon’s mornings had begun with a visit to the West Lake Number One Inn. Eating breakfast here and then quietly refining his internal energy had become one of the day’s simple pleasures. He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and smiled in satisfaction. He was certain now—this was the treasure of a place he had been searching for all this time.
But that peaceful moment did not last long.
“Hm?”
A thick killing intent suddenly pressed in from outside the inn’s door. Nang Hyeon’s expression hardened in an instant. His keen senses told him at once that this was no ordinary threat. A martial artist’s instincts blared a warning. He rose slowly from his seat and let his hand drift to the hilt at his waist. Living as a solver in Hangzhou, Nang Hyeon had made more than his share of enemies. A life that ate by the sword was a path paved with grudges and blood; the possibility of a blade of vengeance flying at him at any time, from any place, was simply part of the everyday.
“Miss Seol, step back for a moment.”
Nang Hyeon issued the warning in a low voice, his gaze locked on the door. Jo Seol, who had been inside the inn, looked startled by his rigid expression, but she quickly grasped his meaning and took a step back. The killing intent outside the door grew denser by the second. Nang Hyeon drew a deep breath and pulled up his internal energy. Warm power spread from his dantian through his entire body.
Bang!
The inn’s door was kicked open with brutal force. The door leaf, reinforced with solid Meteoric Iron, shuddered slightly and gave a dull thud. The moment it swung open, Nang Hyeon’s hand was already clenched tight around his sword hilt. His eyes flashed sharp. When he confirmed the faces of the men who had entered, his expression grew even graver.
“What the hell kind of door is this solid?!”
An irritated voice rang through the inn. The man who had kicked the door was clutching one foot and grumbling. Behind him stood a massive, rough-looking man whose eyes were as sharp and cruel as a wolf’s. Nang Hyeon recognized them at a glance.
The Blood Wolf Gang… damn it.
The Blood Wolf Gang was a notorious outfit that terrorized the West Lake area. After the Five Flower Sect had fallen to Kang Yeon’s hand, they were the ones trying to expand into the vacuum. If the Five Flower Sect had been jackals, the Blood Wolf Gang were wolves. In both scale and cruelty, they far outstripped the Five Flower Sect. Nang Hyeon clicked his tongue inwardly as he confirmed their identities.
Of all places…
The massive man at the front spotted Nang Hyeon and twisted his lips into a nasty smile. His chest was left open, revealing skin thick with bristling hair that looked permanently enraged. Jo Seol took one look and muttered under her breath before she could stop herself.
“Gross…”
Hearing her, Nang Hyeon quickly hissed a low warning toward Jo Seol.
“Watch your tongue. That one’s temper is extremely foul.”
Concerned for Jo Seol’s safety, Nang Hyeon stepped forward. His gaze locked once more on the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang—Gwak Sa. Gwak Sa met Nang Hyeon’s eyes and twisted his mouth even higher.
“Well, well. Nang Hyeon. So this is where you’ve been hiding?”
Gwak Sa’s voice dripped with mockery. Nang Hyeon frowned slightly and answered calmly.
“I’ve never hidden. What are you talking about? Did you lose your mind first thing in the morning?”
“Still got that mouth on you, I see. Anyway—I hear you gave our boys a thorough thrashing?”
At those words, Nang Hyeon’s eyes flickered. A recent commission came back to him. He had been asked to deal with a pack of thugs who had been regularly causing trouble at a pleasure house on the outskirts of Hangzhou. He had accepted the job without hesitation and crushed the group the moment they showed up. At the time he had thought nothing of it; only later did he learn those thugs belonged to the Blood Wolf Gang.
“Your boys got a beating, so the Blood Wolf himself, Gwak Sa, pays a personal visit?”
Nang Hyeon’s tone remained deliberately provocative. Gwak Sa snorted a laugh.
“I don’t care about the rest—if you cause trouble in our territory, you pay the price.”
“Trouble? I was just carrying out a legitimate commission. If anyone was causing trouble, it was your boys. And since when is that place your territory?”
“Empty land belongs to whoever takes it.”
Gwak Sa’s answer was shameless. Nang Hyeon snorted.
“You got thoroughly wrecked by me before you could take it. Your story doesn’t even hold together.”
Logically, Nang Hyeon was right. But he knew perfectly well that logic alone never settled everything in this world. Stronger killing intent poured from Gwak Sa’s eyes. His lips twisted into a sneer.
“This little shit’s mouth…”
Shiiing.
Gwak Sa drew the saber from his waist. The blade, shaped like a wolf’s fang, flashed. Nang Hyeon lowered his stance at the sight. His voice dropped, cold and low.
“Drawing a blade means you’ve put your own life on the table from this moment on.”
Wuuuung.
Internal energy erupted from Nang Hyeon’s body. Power spreading from his dantian wrapped his entire form and made the air itself vibrate. Gwak Sa’s brow twitched. Nang Hyeon’s internal energy was stronger than expected. Gwak Sa stood at the very peak of First-Class, and Nang Hyeon was known to be in a similar realm. Yet the qi Nang Hyeon was releasing now lightly surpassed him.
Gwak Sa hesitated for a moment, then gave a low order to his men.
“Hit him all at once. Get ready. Be careful, all of you. That bastard Nang Hyeon—whatever he’s been eating, he’s not normal.”
At his command, the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists each drew their sabers. Tension sharpened their eyes. The inn filled with killing intent in an instant. The air felt ready to spray blood at any second. Nang Hyeon glanced at Jo Seol with an apologetic look.
“Miss Seol, I’m truly sorry about this.”
He had grown fond of this place and had wanted to keep coming often. Causing damage here, even unintentionally, left him feeling guilty. Jo Seol let out a long sigh.
“It’s fine. It’s not like this is the first or second time.”
Working at inns in Hangzhou, Jo Seol had witnessed plenty of Murim brawls. Scenes of blades flashing and blood flying were nothing new. She stepped back with a calm face. Still, a corner of her heart worried for Nang Hyeon’s safety. The killing intent of the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists was simply too fierce.
The situation escalated in a heartbeat.
“Kill that bastard!”
With Gwak Sa’s shout, the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists charged Nang Hyeon as one. Gwak Sa himself hung back with his wolf-fang saber in hand, watching for an opening. His strategy was to use his subordinates as bait, drain Nang Hyeon’s strength, then deliver the finishing blow. Sabers from the Blood Wolf Gang rained toward Nang Hyeon.
Whoosh!
Powerful saber strikes cut through the air. But Nang Hyeon did not panic. Though his realm was only First-Class, the experience forged through countless battles kept him composed. He was a veteran who had weathered group assaults like this more times than he could count.
Slip.
Nang Hyeon moved with calm precision and unleashed his unique martial art, the Lion Fist. His fists sliced the air and knocked aside the Blood Wolf Gang’s sabers. The follow-up attacks were swift and precise.
Thud-thud-thud!
“Guhk!”
One Blood Wolf Gang martial artist flew backward under Nang Hyeon’s fist, spraying blood.
Crash.
Furniture inside the inn went flying in every direction. But Nang Hyeon did not stop.
Bang.
Leaving the groaning martial artist behind, he turned on the remaining enemies. His movements flowed like water. Accustomed to fighting multiple opponents, he subdued the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists one by one. Watching the fight, Gwak Sa bit his lip. Nang Hyeon’s skill had grown far stronger than expected. Today’s fight would not be easy—but he had no intention of backing down.
Gwak Sa was the man who had founded the Blood Wolf Gang. He had climbed to this position with nothing but a single wolf-fang saber and sheer will. Defeat was not something he would accept.
Wuum.
Gwak Sa pulled up his internal energy and charged Nang Hyeon. The wolf-fang saber traced a razor-sharp arc toward him. The strike was so keen that even Nang Hyeon could not casually brush it aside.
“Hup!”
Nang Hyeon flinched and jerked his body back. The Blood Wolf Gang martial artists seized the opening and pressed hard.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Nang Hyeon met the attacks pouring in from every direction. The inn gradually turned into a battlefield. Furniture toppled; saber strikes slammed into walls and tables, raising a racket. Around that time, Kang Yeon appeared from the kitchen at a leisurely pace.
“Yeon-oppa! There’s a fight!”
Jo Seol rushed toward him, shouting urgently. Yet Kang Yeon kept a calm expression despite her frantic voice.
“Yeah. Looks like there’s a fight.”
“Oppa, the inn’s about to get completely wrecked—why are you so calm?!”
Urgency colored Jo Seol’s voice. Kang Yeon looked at her and gave a small laugh.
“Wrecked? Nothing’s getting wrecked. Everything’s fine.”
At that, Jo Seol looked around with a puzzled expression. Furniture was definitely scattered everywhere, yet somehow not a single scratch marred any of it.
Clang!
When a Blood Wolf Gang martial artist’s saber struck a table, the blade itself bounced back from the rebound. The fighters, lost in the heat of battle, failed to notice—but Jo Seol saw it clearly.
“Huh?? Why is that still fine??”
“Force like that won’t even leave a scratch on our inn’s furniture.”
Kang Yeon’s words left Jo Seol staring blankly. He gently pulled her back.
“Still, you could get hurt, so stay back.”
“Huh?? Ah… okay.”
While Jo Seol retreated, Kang Yeon used his energy to draw one of the toppled chairs over, sat down, and folded his arms. He watched the fight unfolding inside the inn with idle curiosity. To his eyes, every movement of Nang Hyeon and the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists was crystal clear.
“Two First-Class martial artists and three Third-Class…”
Nang Hyeon and Gwak Sa were both First-Class; the subordinates who had followed Gwak Sa were only Third-Class. In Kang Yeon’s eyes, this fight was little more than children playing. Still, he had no particular desire to intervene. He had no wish to get tangled in Murim affairs again.
Jo Seol, frustrated by his attitude, approached him.
“Yeon-oppa!! You’re just going to watch?!”
“Yeah. I don’t really feel like interfering.”
“The inn’s a complete mess!”
“Like I said—the furniture will be perfectly fine.”
Jo Seol looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Meanwhile the fight grew fiercer. Nang Hyeon had subdued all the Blood Wolf Gang martial artists and entered a one-on-one standoff with Gwak Sa. From Nang Hyeon’s ragged breathing, it was clear he had expended considerable strength. Gwak Sa, by contrast, had conserved his power by using his men as bait. Confidence in victory filled his eyes.
“Die!”
Gwak Sa charged Nang Hyeon. The wolf-fang saber traced a vicious arc aimed at Nang Hyeon’s neck. Exhausted, Nang Hyeon squeezed out every last bit of strength to counter, but he was steadily forced onto the defensive. Gwak Sa’s blade began leaving shallow cuts on Nang Hyeon’s body. Blood sprayed, staining his clothes red. Yet the battle-hardened Nang Hyeon avoided fatal wounds and somehow held on.
Watching this, Jo Seol urgently called to Kang Yeon.
“Yeon-oppa, at this rate our inn’s Number One customer is going to die.”
“Hmm…”
Kang Yeon scratched his head. Jo Seol raised her voice, exasperated.
“Seriously? A person is dying right in front of you and you’re just going to sit there staring?”
“Living and dying is just the life of a martial artist.”
“Nang-muin is our inn’s Number One customer and our most important publicity tool!!! If he dies, no one will ever know how good our inn’s food is!”
At those words, Kang Yeon’s eyes lit up.
“Oh?? I hadn’t thought of that.”
He recalled how the inn’s customers had increased over the past few days thanks to Nang Hyeon. At the same time, a stream of energy burst from Kang Yeon’s body.
Wuuuuung.
Kang Yeon flicked his hand lightly. In that instant, Gwak Sa’s wolf-fang saber—poised to deliver a fatal blow to Nang Hyeon—froze solid in midair.
“Ghk!! Wh-what is this?!”
Gwak Sa thrashed. No matter how much strength he poured in or how much internal energy he forced into the blade, the wolf-fang saber would not budge an inch. Panic and fury twisted across his face. In that moment Kang Yeon appeared between the two men like a ghost. He spoke to Gwak Sa in a calm, even voice.
“Sorry, but this is as far as you go. This man is an important customer of our inn.”