Chapter 29

The Darkness of Hangzhou (1)

The three left the inn.

Before long, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak finally spat out the blood they had been holding back.

"Cough!"

Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak realized their own weakness.

They could only grip their swords harder for no reason.

Crunch!

They were furious.

No matter how one looked at it, the reality that they could not last even a single exchange against the Wolf king was infuriating.

"Are you angry?"

"...."

The two said nothing.

How could such feelings be put into words?

"I'm angry too."

"...!"

"As expected, the world is vast, and there are many strong people."

Cheon Seonhak's words were right.

Reforging the body was merely the starting point.

'Even knowing that, it seems I was far too careless.'

The Wolf king was a master of the Hwagyeong realm.

Even Cheon Seonhak had only recently broken through that wall and stepped into Hwagyeong, so at the very least, the Wolf king must have been walking a path ahead of him.

'Perhaps I was the frog in the well.'

Cheon Muyang felt as though he had seen another sky beyond the sky.

"Still, one day, I will surpass even that Wolf king."

"...."

"If you intend to volunteer as my right arm and left arm, shouldn't you be able to do at least that?"

The two clenched their fists tightly.

Weakness was not a problem that risked only their own lives.

'I must become stronger. No matter who the opponent is, I must be able to protect my lord.'

It was a shared resolve.

Cheon Muyang smiled inwardly as he met the firm determination shining in their eyes.

'You'll grow stronger from here on.'

Those who harbor resolve inevitably grow stronger.

And did these two not already have a path by which they could grow stronger?

"The sky you saw—do you truly think that sky is so low?"

Boom!

The sky they had seen.

If they could reach the very edge of that sky.

They would surely be able to achieve what they sought.

"I don't need answers like 'I'll work hard' or 'I'll do my best.' Everyone works hard, and everyone does their best."

That was nothing more than an excuse.

Wouldn't the disciples of the Nine Great Sects also work hard and do their best, just like Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak?

"Become stronger. Show it with your swords. That is the path of those who hold a sword."

Each word pierced the hearts of the two like a dagger.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Once more, the two made their vow.

That they would grow stronger.

And that they would truly become Cheon Muyang's right arm and left arm.

"That applies to me as well."

All of that advice was also directed at himself.

"Damn it, we all still have a long road ahead of us."

Cheon Muyang walked on with a smile.

"But there's something we need to do. Are you all right?"

"We will follow."

Despite their internal injuries, the two stood behind Cheon Muyang without hesitation.

"Good. Then let's go."

"Yes."

Glance.

Before leaving, Cheon Muyang looked back once more at the shabby inn.

[Nanginru ]

Looking at it again, even the name felt exceedingly fitting for the Wolf king.

"Let's meet again someday, Wolf king."

That single exchange of blows had left behind a lesson far greater than expected.

'An unexpected fortuitous encounter.'

It truly was a strange connection.

From stopping by a shabby inn on a whim, to encountering the Wolf king, crossing swords with him, and surviving.

'Didn't they say that every trial that fails to kill me makes me stronger?'

With that thought, Cheon Muyang left Nanginru and headed toward the back alleys of Hangzhou.

At a certain point, light and darkness split apart.

The alien sight was truly peculiar.

"The boundary between light and darkness, is it."

The back alleys of Hangzhou were filled with a dark and sinister aura, as if announcing the division of territory.

After only a few more steps, Hangzhou's bright lanterns filled the distance, yet paradoxically, even that brilliance failed to illuminate this place.

"So this is a place where the influence of the Cheon Family does not reach at all… How utterly laughable."

Cheon Muyang walked through the back alleys with a self-mocking smile.

The deep-seated gloom entrenched here was no different from a disaster created by the Cheon Family itself.

'We should have suspected it much earlier.'

And yet, the Cheon Family had left this darkness of Hangzhou unattended.

That was their mistake.

Darkness fed upon darkness as it grew, and eventually began to expand on its own, rejecting the order of the Cheon Family altogether.

Thus, Hangzhou's underbelly became the only place beyond the Cheon Family's gaze.

In other words, it was the perfect place for those who wished to bring down the Cheon Family to hide.

'It's only natural that those unjustly cast out would gather here and cry out for rebellion….'

However, the Cheon Family had been too pressed for time to concern itself even with that.

That was true now, and it would be true of the Cheon Family in the future as well.

Which was why he intended to correct the Cheon Family's mistakes before it was too late.

Before matters became irreversible.

Suddenly, Cheon Muyang asked Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak,

"What do you think of the Cheon Family?"

"...?"

It was likely a thought they had never entertained before.

So Cheon Muyang changed the question.

"Are you prepared to die for the Cheon Family?"

No hasty answer came.

Because Cheon Muyang did not desire such an answer.

"We'll hear that answer after this matter is resolved."

"...."

The ones being tested were not Cheon Muyang alone.

Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak would be tested as well.

'Those we're about to face are people who once bore the resolve to give their lives for the Cheon Family.'

When they met them—

No matter what choice Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak made, Cheon Muyang decided he would respect it.

With that, he moved his steps once more.

"Stop."

Halt!

Cheon Muyang came to a stop.

It seemed they had arrived at their destination.

"Beyond this point, no one is allowed to enter."

"Ah, then I suppose it's fine as long as we're not 'no one,' right?"

Cheon Muyang smiled slyly.

Then he gave a small nod.

At that signal, Neung Ryeoun handed over a money pouch he had prepared in advance.

"Is this sufficient?"

"Ah, more than enough. So you weren't just anyone. Go on in."

"Much obliged."

After pocketing the money pouch, they opened the way with grinning smiles.

Still, their eyes remained full of vigilance.

Of course, Cheon Muyang merely looked like a carefree young noble out to enjoy Hangzhou's back alleys.

'As expected, they're not simple thugs.'

Though they grinned as they accepted the bribe, their eyes did not smile.

That vigilance alone meant they had reached a certain level.

Comparable to the inspectors Cheon Muyang had cut down before.

But unlike those inspectors drowned in indulgence, these men looked accustomed to blood and death—so they were likely stronger.

"Hm."

Passing by them, Cheon Muyang finally came face to face with the reality unfolding in the deepest part of Hangzhou.

"So they said a market would open. Was this the kind of market they meant?"

Just as Geumsan had said, a market had opened.

The crowd looked even denser than Hangzhou's ordinary marketplaces.

[Cheap! It's cheap!]

[We even have foreign tribesmen who can communicate!]

However, this was not a market where ordinary goods were bought and sold.

What was being traded here… were people.

Crunch.

Unlike Cheon Muyang, who maintained his composure, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak could not endure the revulsion.

"Do not act rashly."

"...!"

"Look at it with your own eyes. This is the reality created by the Cheon Family turning away from Hangzhou's darkness."

The two realized then—

That Cheon Muyang was far angrier than either of them.

"Understood."

At that moment, Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak learned from Cheon Muyang how to swallow their rage.

Step, step.

The three of them took in every 'product' on display.

From children to foreign tribesmen, the variety was endless.

Seeing the eyes of those who looked as though they had already resigned themselves to life, Cheon Muyang reproached himself.

'How can such a horrific market operate so openly? Have they truly abandoned being human?'

Even if they had been cast aside by the Cheon Family and become consumed by vengeance, how could they abandon righteousness and humanity?

The clothes Geumsan had bought for him earlier had grown tight after his reforging, so Cheon Muyang's fists were hidden within his sleeves.

Crunch!

Thus, even when he clenched his hands hard enough for his nails to dig into his flesh, it was not easily noticeable.

Drip.

A single drop of blood fell to the ground.

But it was trampled underfoot by passersby, leaving no trace.

Then—

"Young master, what brings you all the way here to take a look?"

A man approached Cheon Muyang with a beaming smile.

Rubbing his hands together, he looked Cheon Muyang up and down.

'That smooth face and those fine clothes—definitely a sucker.'

Having reached that conclusion, and making some assumption of his own, the man leaned in and whispered,

"We've got stunning women too. Hehehe. If you want something exotic, we've even got colored-eye folk."

"...How much?"

"Straight to the point, I see."

The man quietly raised three fingers.

"Three gold."

"...."

This was the buying and selling of people.

A price that did not even consider silver.

"It's not expensive at all, you see. The price might seem a bit much, but there's a reason for it."

"A reason?"

"Yes, yes. If you're refined enough to enter this place, shouldn't you show that level of dignity?"

Cheon Muyang let out a quiet chuckle.

Because his words stirred a faint memory within him.

'Right. Didn't they say even scoundrels have ranks?'

They called it dignity, and how much money one could spend to maintain that dignity ultimately determined their rank.

That was likely how the prices here had also skyrocketed—through scoundrels boasting of their wealth.

"Dignity, huh… Who usually comes looking for that?"

"Oh, don't even get me started. Just a few days ago, even the vice sect leader of the Taehung Sect stopped by."

Taehung Sect.

That name was unmistakably one of the Cheon Family's key allies.

"The vice sect leader of the Taehung Sect, you say…."

Cheon Muyang let out a bitter smile.

Seeing this, the man must have thought it an opportunity, as he began rattling off a few more names.

"The vice sect leader of the Munseong Sect, the third son of the Geumhwa Guild, the chief disciple of the Yongyu Sect, and so on. All of them have used our services."

"Do they come often?"

"Of course, of course. Without a doubt."

"I see."

Cheon Muyang smiled.

Then, pulling out a gold piece and showing it to the man who was clearly expecting something, he asked,

"Gah!"

"Do people from the Cheon Family come here as well?"

"T-the Cheon Family, you say?"

"Yes."

"Of course. Absolute VIPs, they are. Folks like us don't even dare to meet them face-to-face."

"Really? So you screen your customers here too?"

"That's right. Even among black-market dealers, ranks are clearly set. The Cheon Family's people—do you see over there?"

Where he pointed stood a pavilion dedicated to a young lord.

"That's where the transactions take place."

"...Is that so. One more question, then."

"Yes?"

"Did anyone from the Cheon Family come today as well?"

"Ah, well… I did hear that some distinguished guests were being hosted today, but I'm not sure if they were from the Cheon Family."

"Much obliged."

Cheon Muyang handed the gold piece he had taken out to the man who had provided the information.

"A-ah, I-I never thought I'd meet someone so generous…!"

The man's mouth fell wide open, unable to close.

Cheon Muyang strode straight toward the pavilion the man had indicated.

Seeing this, the man tried to stop him.

"B-but if you go that way—!"

"Ah, but I'm from the Cheon Family as well. Wouldn't that make me a VIP?"

"Pardon?"

The man's eyes widened.

At the same time, Cheon Muyang's warning reached his ears.

"You gave me information, so I'll give you a warning in advance."

"A-a warning, you say?"

"Yes. I don't know about today, but if the next time I come here, the 'products' you deal in haven't changed…."

Cheon Muyang made a slicing motion across his neck with the edge of his hand.

"You'll die."

"Ghk!"

The man flinched violently.

It felt as though the edge of a keen blade had just brushed against his throat.

"You'd do well to remember that."

"...!"

Leaving behind the man who had collapsed to the ground with his legs giving out, Cheon Muyang headed toward the pavilion.

"Neung Ryeoun, Cha Myeonghak."

"Yes, my lord."

"Investigate the Taehung Sect, Munseong Sect, Geumhwa Guild, and Yongyu Sect that man mentioned today."

"Understood."

Cheon Muyang's eyes sank deeper than the abyss.

"Good. Let's see just who this 'distinguished guest' really is."

Wasn't the situation turning rather interesting?

Cheon Muyang thought that he might just encounter an unexpected figure here.

"This place is not open to just anyone."

"Step back."

"...."

The security around the pavilion was tight.

It meant only selected individuals were allowed inside.

"You're poorly informed. You don't even recognize me, yet you dare stand guard?"

Cheon Muyang clicked his tongue.

Then he continued,

"If you don't know me in Hangzhou, that's a problem."

"...?"

"Or do you consider even the Cheon Family's eldest young master to be 'just anyone'?"

Their expressions stiffened.

With a scoundrel-like smile, Cheon Muyang pressed them instead.

"Do I truly lack the qualifications?"