Chapter 28

Wolf king

Cheon Muyang set out in the morning and only arrived in Hangzhou around dusk.

"Pretty shabby."

Just as hunger began to gnaw at him,

two men who looked like Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak walked toward Cheon Muyang.

To avoid the eyes of the Council of Elders, Cheon Muyang had been moving separately from the two.

"My lord."

"Oh, you're here?"

"Yes."

Having changed into plain clothes, the two took position behind Cheon Muyang as his guards.

They looked exactly like escorting bodyguards, while Cheon Muyang—almost as if on purpose—acted outwardly like a frivolous, good-for-nothing young master.

"Then shall we grab a meal before we really get moving?"

"Sounds good."

"Know any places?"

"Wouldn't you know better than us, my lord?"

"Is that so."

Cheon Muyang searched his memories.

But every place that came to mind was nothing but pleasure houses.

"No. My memories are useless—let's go somewhere else."

"...."

Avoiding familiar memories, Cheon Muyang entered a small inn tucked away in a corner.

Its worn, time-stained appearance made it feel like the kind of place that guaranteed good food.

It wasn't much different from any other inn, but an old fishing rod hanging near the kitchen entrance briefly caught Cheon Muyang's eye.

"Let's just eat here."

"Yes."

There wasn't even a proper waiter, so Cheon Muyang had to order directly from the owner.

From Dongpo pork to plain noodles and dumplings, he ordered a wide spread.

"Tsk. What a pain in the ass."

The elderly owner grumbled.

Cheon Muyang ignored him and pressed on with additional orders.

"What are you doing? Order more."

"Ah…."

"Eating properly is part of training too."

It didn't take long for a light meal to turn into a full-blown feast.

"Want some liquor too?"

"Ah, no. We're fine without."

"Hmph. Suit yourself."

Creeeak.

That was when it happened.

The inn's door opened.

Cheon Muyang, who should have been focused on the food, suddenly turned his head.

"Hey, innkeeper. Long time no see."

"Heh heh heh. You're still alive, I see."

"As if I could die even if I wanted to. Hurry up and bring the booze."

He seemed to be an old acquaintance of the innkeeper.

Yet for some reason, Cheon Muyang couldn't take his eyes off the man.

"My lord? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. Let's eat."

Cheon Muyang resumed eating.

The food was clearly made with skill—the flavors on his tongue were impressive enough to draw admiration—yet the sense of unease refused to fade.

'Why?'

It had started the moment he noticed the man in the corner of the inn, drinking straight from the bottle.

'Who is he?'

He couldn't relax.

Even against his will, the Cheon Radiance let out a low cry in all directions.

It was a warning—danger.

Bang!

The man slammed the bottle down and rose from his seat.

Then, drawing forth a ferocious, unrestrained aura, he spoke toward Cheon Muyang.

"Damn it, it's too noisy to drink in peace. Who the hell are you, huh? Some stray that rolled in from nowhere?"

"...!"

At the raw, barely contained pressure, Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak flinched and each reached for their swords.

"Don't step in."

Cheon Muyang stopped them.

As he watched the man stride closer, a fleeting memory crossed his mind.

'That face… I'm sure….'

He knew.

The appearance had changed enough that he hadn't recognized him at first, but there were very few in the Central Plains who radiated such rough, unrefined, primal killing intent.

"Wolf king…."

That name—Wolf king .

A man granted the title of King in the vast martial world.

'Why is the Wolf king here in Hangzhou?'

The question arose, but Cheon Muyang quickly realized it was meaningless.

The Wolf king was a wanderer who roamed the martial world without a fixed destination.

He could be in Sichuan, or in Hebei—such was the Wolf king.

"Oh? So you're not just some soft scholar spouting nonsense. You know who I am, do you?"

The Wolf king was an extremely aggressive man.

Once his interest was piqued, he had to satisfy it immediately.

"Let's see…."

Glance.

The Wolf king's eyes flicked to the sword hanging at Cheon Muyang's waist.

"Let's see if your sword is as pretty as your face!"

Whoooong!

With one hand, the Wolf king casually swung a greatsaber nearly as large as his own body.

Yet even that alone gave the illusion that the very air was being torn apart as it came flying in.

"My lord!"

"Fall back!"

"...!"

Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak.

The two moved on instinct, disobeying Cheon Muyang's order.

Two swords pierced through the Wolf king's pressure and flew in.

Kaaang!

Neung Ryeo-un's heavy sword.

And Cha Myeong-hak's swift sword.

Cha Myeong-hak's fast blade struck first, attempting to change the saber's trajectory—but failed.

Kwaaang!

The heavy sword that followed tried to block the saber's advance, but it too was forced through.

"Keugh!"

In a single exchange.

Both men were flung backward, coughing up blood.

"Small fry should stay out of it."

Twitch.

Though he called them small fry, the Wolf king was inwardly surprised.

The swift sword hadn't changed the direction, but it had altered the angle.

The heavy sword hadn't blocked the strike, but it had slowed it.

'Not bad. Promising talents, those two.'

However, the Wolf king's saber did not stop.

There was something else he wanted to see.

"My business is with you."

It was overwhelming power.

Yet Cheon Muyang continued to draw the Wolf king's saber in until the very end.

'Reverse Dragon Scale Slash….'

Head-on, there was no chance of winning.

This moment—when the Wolf king was not yet going all out—was his only opportunity.

"...!"

Hwiing!

'Wind?'

The wind blew.

But the Wolf king knew full well that no wind should be blowing in a place so enclosed.

'Well now.'

The Wolf king sensed a strange flow.

It felt as though his saber was being drawn in.

'Fine. I'll play along.'

He did not retreat.

Even knowing it was a trap, he chose to indulge it.

Whoooong!

A massive current wrapped around the Wolf king's saber.

As if rejecting the Wolf king's will itself, it tried to take control of his blade.

Grit.

Within that flow, the saber deviated from the path it had originally been meant to follow.

And along that reversed path—

a single sword came rushing up toward him.

Shuuung!

The blade grazed the back of the Wolf king's neck as it passed.

Blood sprayed.

Grin.

Yet for some reason, the Wolf king's smile stretched nearly to his ears.

"What an interesting sword."

"...."

Step.

The two faced each other.

Though the one who had been wounded was the Wolf king, it was Cheon Muyang who looked to be at a disadvantage.

'Did he read my trick?'

Reverse Dragon Scale Slash was a technique of single-strike execution.

Now that it had failed, a second stroke of luck would never work.

"What's the name of that sword technique?"

"Reverse Dragon Scale Slash."

"Dragon scale, hm… interesting. Are you saying you're a dragon?"

"I am Cheon Muyang, the eldest son of the Cheon Clan."

A strange light appeared in the Wolf king's eyes.

"The Cheon Clan, huh. From what I heard, a dog was born under a tiger, and the future looked bleak…."

He shrugged.

"Sounds like bullshit to me."

Koom!

The Wolf king slammed his saber into the ground.

"Hey! You bastard! Aren't you going to ruin the floor?!"

"Ah, put it on my tab."

"I'll be charging interest too!"

"Suit yourself."

The Wolf king replied casually.

Then, with a sly smile toward Cheon Muyang, he continued.

"That aside… why is the Cheon Clan's eldest son picking a fight with me? Care to explain?"

"My sword reacted on its own."

"Oh?"

The Wolf king's gaze shifted to the Cheon Radiance.

That sharpness didn't look like that of an ordinary blade.

"Now that I look at it, that sword seems to be quite the treasure."

"...."

"Very well. Since I'm in a generous mood and you're a junior, I'll give you a discount. Hand over that sword, and I'll let today's rudeness slide. How about it? Sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it?"

Whooosh!

The Wolf king's rough aura surged once more, engulfing Cheon Muyang.

It was blatant intimidation.

Yet within that storm-like pressure, Cheon Muyang's eyes remained cold and steady.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then it'll be hard for you to make it home safely tonight."

Glance.

The Wolf king shifted his gaze to Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak.

"Of course, I mean your men."

Snap.

The Wolf king crossed a line.

Cheon Muyang intended to show him that some lines must never be crossed.

"Bullshit."

"What did you say?"

"Even if you were the Wolf king—or the Wolf king's grandfather—you don't get to lay a finger on my people."

Snap.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Gooooooo!

A hair-trigger standoff.

Pressure far greater than before bore down on Cheon Muyang.

As widely known, the Wolf king had reached the realm of transcendence.

"What did you just say?"

The pressure of such a man was strong enough to kill with presence alone.

Yet Cheon Muyang did not flinch in the slightest.

"Even if you're not the Wolf king, but the Wolf king's grandfather—"

"Enough!"

The Wolf king cut him off.

"So you truly want to die? Are you acting out because you trust the Cheon Clan to have your back?"

Snort.

Cheon Muyang sneered at him.

"A real madman doesn't bother thinking about things like that."

"What did you say?"

"Go screw yourself."

Cheon Muyang raised the Cheon Radiance.

The tip of the blade—always pointed toward the sky—was now aimed at the ground.

"Interesting. Very interesting. Kids these days don't have this kind of guts anymore. It's been a while since I've felt this fired up."

The Wolf king rolled his shoulders from side to side.

That posture was the Wolf king's true figure—the figure he wore when facing a life-and-death foe.

"This time, you'd better be careful. I won't go easy on you."

"Suit yourself."

Even knowing he could never truly contend with the Wolf king, Cheon Muyang did not retreat a single step.

'Even in a fight you know you'll lose, there are times when you simply can't back down.'

This was one of those times.

His subordinates' lives had been threatened.

How could someone who called himself their lord ever tolerate that?

"You really are a fearless little pup."

Still, it wasn't bad.

The Wolf king found himself rather liking Cheon Muyang.

'Hmm. Killing him outright feels like a waste… maybe I'll just scare him a bit.'

As if reading his thoughts, Cheon Muyang's expression hardened.

"I have no intention of holding back either, so you'd better go all out. Unless you want rumors spreading about how the great Wolf king got thrashed by the Cheon Clan's mad young master."

"Arrogant bastard."

The Wolf king's muscles swelled.

An aura strong enough to blow this entire inn away began to rise.

But before the Wolf king could move—

Cheon Muyang couldn't either.

"Hey! You idiot! Are you trying to wreck my entire inn?!"

"...."

It was the innkeeper's furious shout.

At that, the Wolf king snorted and withdrew his saber.

"What a mood killer."

"...."

"Hey, you. You got lucky today."

"Don't give me that crap."

"Hey, you little—!"

"You think I can forgive someone who hurt my people?"

"...!"

"I will repay this debt. Without fail."

The sharp-edged resolve in Cheon Muyang's aura was genuine.

"Brat."

"...."

"What was your name again?"

"Cheon Muyang, eldest son of the Cheon Clan."

"Cheon Muyang, huh. I'll remember it."

"You'd better. Get up. Let's go."

"You'll need at least two shichen to recover, won't you?"

The Wolf king sneered.

"Yes, my lord."

Yet Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak, using their swords as crutches, forced themselves to stand and prostrated themselves behind Cheon Muyang.

"Collect the food money from that guy."

After saying that to the innkeeper, Cheon Muyang left the inn.

As if nothing had happened, laughter echoed inside the now-quiet inn as the innkeeper and the Wolf king faced each other.

"Heh heh heh."

"Keh keh keh."

"Interesting fellow. Innkeeper, do you know much about him?"

"Well, about as much as anyone else does."

"Then why don't you spill a bit?"

The innkeeper formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.

"The way of the world is money."

"Hey now, between us—"

"Already forgotten? Didn't he say to collect the money from you?"

The Wolf king's face twisted as if he'd bitten into dung.

"Perfect timing—I was just thinking of overcharging him anyway. That brat really does have bad luck."

The innkeeper's cackling and the Wolf king's grumbling over having to fork over money continued long after.