Chapter 36

Pruning (1)

The Inspectorate Head's office.

Those who shared Cheon Muyang's purpose had gathered there.

"So you're the Inspectorate Head of the Cheon Clan? That clan is clearly doomed."

Despite grumbling, the Wolf king was seated nonetheless.

Across from him, Wolyeong glared at the Wolf king with sharp eyes.

"K-khm!"

The Wolf king cleared his throat awkwardly under her stare.

'That vicious little brat.'

At the "come at me if you don't like it" remark, Wolyeong had charged forward with fury.

Each time, the Wolf king had beaten her back mercilessly, yet Wolyeong had proven an indomitable will.

'First time I've seen a kid who still wants to fight after being pushed that far.'

Wolyeong never gave up and charged all the way to the bitter end.

And so, Wolyeong's sword had managed to brush the Wolf king's sleeve.

That was only because the Wolf king had subtly gone easy on her, though.

'What's even more ridiculous is…'

The Wolf king clicked his tongue at Wolyeong, but when he looked at Cheon Muyang, he found himself speechless.

'That bastard.'

Cheon Muyang's training was simple.

With sword in hand, he would slowly slash downward from above, or sometimes cut upward from below.

At first glance, even the Wolf king had wondered what kind of training that was—but the moment he grasped its true intent, he had no choice but to be shocked.

'Every single movement being identical to this degree…'

Each motion, every single one.

They were identical enough to send chills down one's spine.

'And yet… subtly different.'

The Wolf king could see it.

That something changed ever so slightly with each movement.

That meant Cheon Muyang had complete dominion over both his sword and his body.

In other words, he had realized that the sword and himself were no longer separate.

'Achieving unity of sword and self at that age… seriously, he's insane.'

The Wolf king clicked his tongue again.

The balance was simply too perfect.

Many believed that to become a master, one must learn advanced sword techniques and advanced internal arts.

'But what truly matters is the foundation.'

That wasn't wrong—but without a solid foundation, it was all meaningless.

One wouldn't even be able to comprehend the essence of advanced techniques in the first place.

'In that sense, that kid is clearly different from his peers.'

The Wolf king had wandered the martial world, meeting and clashing with countless people.

Among them were later-generation elites of the orthodox sects and five great clans—those dubbed the Three Dragons or Five Peaks of the martial world.

They were undeniably strong for their age.

But their depth was shallow, and they still leaned toward flashiness.

'He's already realized what truly matters. A true martial artist.'

Cheon Muyang was different.

He was building depth through training that repeated nothing but the basics.

That depth had already reached a point where even the Wolf king found it difficult to gauge.

'The moment he deems his foundation complete…'

That would be when the world learned of the Hidden Dragon named Cheon Muyang.

'How far do you intend to go?'

The Wolf king had always wandered the martial world.

Perhaps it was time to think about settling down.

He had already chosen Nangin Pavilion in Hangzhou as a place to settle.

'Staying with the Cheon Clan wouldn't be so bad.'

Thinking that, the Wolf king subtly avoided Wolyeong's sharp gaze.

Cheon Muyang continued speaking, unfazed.

"There is one person here who doesn't seem to know why he's here, but let's ignore that and proceed."

Cheon Muyang's gaze turned to Neung Ryeoun.

"Neung Ryeoun."

"Yes, my lord."

"Among the Cheon Clan's allies, which holds the greatest influence?"

"Taehung Sect."

"And after that?"

"Yongyu Sect."

"And the merchant groups?"

"Geumhwa Guild and Taeryong Merchant Union."

Cheon Muyang's expression turned cold.

He had heard every one of those names—except the Taeryong Merchant Union—in the back alleys of Hangzhou.

"Geumsan."

"Yes."

"Are Taehung Sect, Yongyu Sect, and Geumhwa Guild trading with the Black Merchant?"

The casual tone of speaking down.

Still, Geumsan accepted it.

He had decided to become Cheon Muyang's man.

"Yes."

"Is there any chance they did it without knowing what that act truly meant?"

This time, Geumsan shook his head from side to side.

"No. There's no way. All of them are places where the influence of the Elders' Council is strong. In the first place, the reason they were chosen as allies is tied to their relationship with the Elders' Council."

"Hm."

It was as he expected.

It made it even clearer that the goal of the Elders' Council—more precisely, the goal of Supreme Elder Cheon Jungho—was not the power of the Cheon Clan itself.

'He's deliberately ruining the Cheon Clan.'

Every place that had risen as an ally of the Cheon Clan was one already suspected of corruption.

'Rather than cutting them off, they were accepted as allies…'

That alone showed where their true objective lay.

It was the perfect day for pruning.

"Good. Then today, we strike Taehung Sect."

Cheon Seonhak, who had been listening quietly until now, asked calmly.

"What do you intend to do about the alliance?"

"I have no intention of maintaining alliances with those who commit corruption. There's no reason to."

Cheon Muyang grinned.

After all, it wasn't his side that had committed the crime.

"All justification is on our side. And we even gave them a full fifteen days."

Fifteen days.

Long, if you considered it long. Short, if you considered it short.

But at the very least, Taehung Sect had ignored Cheon Muyang's warning.

"Then they'll have to pay the price."

Something suddenly came to mind.

"The eldest son of Taehung Sect, was it? I've heard plenty of rumors that he's quite the scoundrel."

Cheon Muyang had apparently been ostracized even among scoundrels.

In particular, the chief disciple of the Taehung Sect Leader had taken the lead in isolating him.

'That's why the eldest son knew nothing about the back alleys of Hangzhou.'

While they roamed the back alleys of Hangzhou together, Cheon Muyang had lived buried in taverns, carefree and idle.

'Honestly, that might have been better.'

Why it had seemed so pathetic back then was anyone's guess.

What he thought was the lowest place had turned out to be the highest.

"If I get the chance, I should give that guy's ass a good kick."

***

Taehung Sect was an allied sect of the Cheon Clan and held considerable power in Zhejiang.

Just saying you belonged to Taehung Sect was enough to make people back off.

Kwaaaang!

As if mocking that prestige, the main gate of Taehung Sect was completely smashed apart with absurd ease.

The noise was so loud that everyone in Taehung Sect noticed.

The Taehung Sect Leader, who happened to be passing nearby, was no exception.

Having already stepped into the threshold of the peak realm, he rushed straight to the main gate the moment he sensed something amiss.

Several disciples were sprawled across the ground.

"How dare you! What do you think you're doing?!"

Only three men were visible.

Behind them stood Wolyeong, a young woman in martial attire, her expression calm and cold, her sword resting loosely at her side.

At first glance, she didn't seem particularly eye-catching.

Thus, the Taehung Sect Leader shouted in fury—only to soon notice something strange.

"Wait… aren't those martial robes from the Cheon Clan?"

The clothes the three men wore were indeed Cheon Clan martial robes.

"Ah, Sect Leader of Taehung?"

"...?"

A refined, noble-looking young man with especially distinct features called out to him.

'Who is he? Was there someone like this in the Cheon Clan?'

Unable to recognize him, the Taehung Sect Leader grew cautious.

"Who are you? Why are you wearing the Cheon Clan's robes and causing such a disturbance?"

"Me?"

Heh.

The corners of the young man's lips rose.

Seeing that smile, the Taehung Sect Leader felt an odd sense of familiarity.

"No—wait a moment."

He hadn't recognized him because the man had lost so much weight, gained muscle, and grown taller—but that uniquely scoundrel-like smile, he remembered.

"T-the Cheon Clan's scoundrel? No… the Eldest Young Master?"

"Oh, you finally recognize me? I am that very scoundrel eldest son of the Cheon Clan—Cheon Muyang."

Cheon Muyang smiled.

Yet contrary to that smile, the sharpness of the Heavenly Light in his hand grew even more intense.

"H-how can you commit such rudeness?! Th-this is Taehung Sect! We are allies of the Cheon Clan!"

"Didn't I clearly warn you?"

"...!"

"As the newly appointed Inspectorate Head, I'm sure the message was delivered to Taehung Sect as well. That I would grant a fifteen-day grace period."

"T-that is…"

The Taehung Sect Leader felt a chill crawl up his spine.

That warning had certainly been delivered.

But he had dismissed it, thinking some mere scoundrel was overstepping his bounds without knowing his place.

"Th-there must be some misunderstanding. T-talk to the Th-Third Elder, speak with the Third Elder."

"Tsk, tsk. No growth at all in your excuses."

At this point, it was impossible not to acknowledge the Third Elder.

'Is there anywhere he isn't involved? At this rate… maybe the Cheon Clan lost an incredible talent.'

It almost felt as if losing a towering figure like the Third Elder was a greater loss, his name appearing everywhere.

"Sorry, but I plan to start with Taehung Sect and then cut down that illustrious Third Elder. So don't bother thinking about escaping."

Swish.

Cheon Muyang took something out from his robes.

It was a set of documents Geumsan had compiled after staying awake day and night for several days.

The reason Geumsan had infiltrated the Black Merchant wasn't sympathy for their cause, but to obtain the information they possessed.

"There won't be a single hole left for you to crawl out of."

"Ugh!"

The Taehung Sect Leader's complexion hardened.

That was when—

"Well, well. Look who it is. Isn't that Cheon Muyang? Almost didn't recognize you."

Lee Taemun, the Taehung Sect's chief disciple—also infamous as a scoundrel like Cheon Muyang—staggered over, drunk and clueless about the situation.

"It's been a while. You're… Taemun, right? Lee Taemun?"

Cheon Muyang hesitated over the surname.

But Lee Taemun seemed to take that as fear.

With a snicker, Lee Taemun casually walked up and threw an arm around Cheon Muyang's shoulders.

"...."

"Lost a ton of weight. Don't tell me you were heartbroken because that courtesan you fancied chose me instead?"

Pat, pat.

As always, Lee Taemun looked down on Cheon Muyang, patting his shoulder condescendingly.

"Well, it actually suits you. But you should relax a bit and put some weight back on. You've been pretty scarce around Hangzhou lately—let's pick a day. I know a killer spot."

"...."

"Haha. You're the same as ever—frozen stiff. Relax. It's not like I'm going to eat you alive, right?"

"...."

Cheon Muyang remained silent.

A strange tension filled the air.

"Huh?"

Lee Taemun wasn't completely oblivious.

Only then did he notice the Taehung Sect Leader standing there.

"Why is the Sect Leader here?"

"Ugh...."

And then he saw the Taehung Sect disciples sprawled all around.

"What the hell?"

As Lee Taemun's confusion grew—

Swish.

Neung Ryeoun, Cha Myeonghak,
and Wolyeong subtly stepped back, the young woman's expression flat as ice as she cleared space with the others.

'That idiot....'

Their thoughts weren't identical,
but the three shared a similar sentiment.

The moment their looks of pity reached Lee Taemun—

Smack!

Cheon Muyang's fist slammed straight into the back of Lee Taemun's head.

"What do you think, you bastard."

"Kuhhk!"

"This is an enforcement action by the Inspectorate, personally come to purge trash like you, you piece of shit."

"W-what? Y-you bastard!"

Lee Taemun, unable to contain his rage, tried to draw his sword.

"...!"

But he couldn't.

Somehow, he knew—

If he did, his head would fall clean off.

"Why… why can't I move?!"

Tremble.

Lee Taemun's body locked up.

He couldn't budge an inch.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"If you draw it…"

"Ghk!"

"You die."

The source of that killing intent was right in front of him.

Cheon Muyang was smiling warmly—

Yet it was so cold that if the Grim Reaper ever smiled, it would probably look just like that.

"Go on. Try drawing your sword."

It wasn't just Lee Taemun whose movements had stopped.