Chapter 92

Zhuge Hyeon (2)

There wasn't much time.

Perhaps sensing that something was amiss, Zhuge Hyeon could feel several presences approaching him.

'Were there people assigned to watch Zhuge Hyeon?'

As if he had noticed Cheon Muyang's thoughts, Zhuge Hyeon spoke with a self-mocking smile.

"The moment I do anything foolish, they'll be the ones who cut off my head."

Zhuge Hyeon had joined hands with the Demonic Cult out of necessity.

No—he had neither the justification nor the power to refuse from the very beginning.

"Tsk."

Cheon Muyang suddenly felt sorry for Zhuge Hyeon, living like a bird trapped in a cage.

He had probably never once looked up freely at the sky.

"Shall I cut them down?"

"...."

If he truly intended to cut them down,

One second would be more than enough.

"I haven't even given you my answer yet."

"You're going to accept anyway."

"...."

Zhuge Hyeon was left speechless.

That unreasonable confidence felt strangely similar to the ruffian-like temperament he had heard about in the past.

So much so that he wondered if those years Cheon Muyang had spent as a ruffian hadn't been an act at all.

But only for a moment.

"Just say the word."

Cheon Muyang's aura changed abruptly.

Though it wasn't even directed at him, merely standing nearby made Zhuge Hyeon feel as though his entire body had been raked by blades.

"Hk!"

He flinched.

At the same time, an indescribable, ghostly killing intent settled around Cheon Muyang.

It was intense enough to make Zhuge Hyeon's eyes widen.

"I'll free you immediately."

"...."

Zhuge Hyeon was overwhelmed by the urge to say yes.

But he couldn't.

"No. I won't."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"The moment you cut them down, Young Master, the Zhuge Family will grow suspicious."

"As for me, nothing would change. The Demonic Cult bastards already want to tear me apart at any moment."

Zhuge Hyeon shook his head.

"Not you."

"Then who?"

"They'll suspect me."

"...?"

Zhuge Hyeon smiled faintly.

Seeing Cheon Muyang look slightly flustered made him seem human at last.

"Didn't you say it yourself, Young Master?"

"Hm?"

"To abandon the Zhuge surname."

"I did, didn't I?"

"I was planning to do so anyway."

"What?"

"Not just abandoning the surname—I intend to kill Zhuge Hyeon altogether."

For a moment, Cheon Muyang wondered if his memories had been wrong.

'Zhuge Hyeon's death… does that mean it might have been intentional?'

Whoosh!

The instant that thought crossed his mind,

Cheon Muyang was forced to reevaluate Zhuge Hyeon.

'I must take him in.'

Zhuge Hyeon was someone who could fill what Cheon Muyang lacked.

'How fortunate.'

To encounter him here, at the Namgung Family.

"You said your goal was reclamation. What were you planning to do after that?"

"Go wherever there are people who share the same greater cause as you, Young Master. I intended to wander the martial world in search of them."

"I see."

Cheon Muyang understood.

'There's a high chance he would've ended up with Hougae.'

There must have been a clear reason he had resolved to kill himself.

Hougae would've been reason enough.

"So you're saying we leave them alone?"

"Yes."

"Fine, then. Wol-yeong."

"Yes, Young Master."

Wol-yeong, who had been standing outside, brought in a table of liquor—somehow already prepared.

"Oh, figures."

Wol-yeong set the table with practiced ease.

Cheon Muyang grabbed the bottle and poured without hesitation.

"Let's drink."

"Alright."

Cups were exchanged.

That was Zhuge Hyeon's answer.

Bang!

The door was thrown open violently.

Wol-yeong was standing outside, but she didn't strongly intervene.

Whoooosh!

Several people barged in, drawing their swords without warning.

"...."

What they found, however, was Cheon Muyang calmly holding a drinking party.

"Hey, drink up. Get it while it's cold."

"P-please stop this...."

By now, Zhuge Hyeon was imitating his usual self.

Seeing how thoroughly he concealed himself, who could possibly think it was an act?

'If nothing else, his acting is unrivaled.'

Of course, Cheon Muyang's own ruffian act was just as convincing—impossible to tell whether it was real or fake.

"Hah, Young Master Zhuge is quite the bumpkin. Didn't think you'd be like this—how dull."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry, my ass."

Cheon Muyang clicked his tongue and stood up abruptly.

"Let's go!"

"Yes, Young Master."

Perhaps it was intentionally strong liquor—the scent was overpowering.

"...."

Cheon Muyang calmly walked between the razor-sharp blades.

'The demonic aura is faint. The real ones haven't come yet.'

These were rabbits.

Bait meant to provoke a beast.

And while the beast was distracted by the bait, wolves would be waiting nearby.

'I want to cut them all down, but…'

Cheon Muyang held himself back.

Then he muttered loudly enough for them to hear.

"Consider yourselves lucky."

Chilling.

They were the ones who had drawn their swords, yet they were the ones being overwhelmed.

"If Zhuge Hyeon were just a little more valuable, I would've cut all of you down."

"...!"

Step. Step.

Cheon Muyang's eyes were sunken deep.

At a glance, his gaze toward Zhuge Hyeon was filled with undisguised contempt.

"Move."

Flinch!

Without realizing it, they stepped aside.

In that moment, even the demonic aura seeping into their bones failed to have any effect.

"Wol-yeong, let's go."

"Yes."

They exited the building.

There was no sign of the Wolf King.

"Hm."

That was when—

Kuuung!

With a vibration that shook the entire building, the ceiling collapsed.

Through the hole, large enough for a person to fall through, a figure presumed to be the Wolf King descended, something dangling from each hand.

"Leaving already?"

"...."

The Wolf King tossed them aside as if throwing objects.

Thud!

On the floor lay the wolves Cheon Muyang had sensed earlier, all unconscious.

"You've already caused a ruckus."

"So should I have just taken it lying down?"

"Well, they brought it on themselves."

Why would they provoke the Wolf King?

They had willingly stepped into the eye of a storm—who was there to blame?

"Let's go."

"Your business is finished?"

"It is."

"But my business isn't."

"Later."

"Can't be helped. It's not urgent anyway."

The Wolf King clicked his tongue and had no choice but to follow behind Cheon Muyang.

When the three of them stepped outside, they saw Zhuge Family warriors lying unconscious just as before, with Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak standing beside them.

"You've arrived, my lord."

"Yes. Our business is finished. Let's go."

"Yes."

After moving the fallen men to a place where sunlight didn't reach, the two followed Cheon Muyang.

"So where do you plan to go now?"

"Our business at the Namgung Family seems to be over, so let's just wait until Namgung Seohee wakes up."

"Over?"

"Becoming the family head is her responsibility now. I'm not her nursemaid, am I?"

"That's true enough."

Cheon Muyang had done everything he needed to do.

While Namgung Seohee slept, he had cleared away every obstacle.

"Now I just want to go home and rest."

"Don't be ridiculous. Even if you go back, you won't be able to rest."

"I say I'm resting—who's going to stop me?"

"You're already at the center of the storm."

The Wolf King laughed.

"A troublemaker like you getting rest? Don't make me laugh."

"...."

"I guarantee it—you'll be dragged back into the martial world again."

"Sir! Why would you say something so ominous!"

Wol-yeong protested.

"It's not ominous. It's just the truth."

With a relaxed smile, the Wolf King teased Wol-yeong instead.

"Yah!"

Without thinking, Wol-yeong threw a punch.

Thud!

"Aagh!"

For an instant, the Wolf King's waist buckled.

Who could've known that such a tiny fist could shatter stone?

"Y-you little brat!"

Clutching his waist, the Wolf King moved to grab Wol-yeong, but she was quicker.

"Hmph!"

"Y-you insolent—!"

The Wolf King's earlobes turned red.

In proportion, his speed as he chased Wol-yeong increased.

"Ghn."

Watching the commotion, Cheon Muyang clicked his tongue.

"It's depressing because what he said sounds right."

There was no way to refute the Wolf King's words.

'The Demonic Cult…'

From the moment the Lord of Yama stepped down, all eyes would be fixed on the Cheon Family.

And the problem was that the Demonic Cult wasn't the only issue.

'The Tang Clan, the Hebei Paeng Family, even the Zhuge Family. Ah, and the Green Forest too.'

Every single one of them was closer to an ill-fated connection.

Cheon Muyang had a bad feeling.

'Something's bound to happen soon.'

Wasn't this what they called the calm before the storm?

Whoooosh!

Beyond the quietly blowing wind, he could feel chaos filling the heavens.

"Well, that's my path."

What else could he do?

It was the road he had chosen.

Far better than the predetermined future where the Cheon Family was wiped out.

'Still, I've completely cleaned up the Cheon Family's internal affairs and strengthened its foundation. And the Namgung Family will stabilize under Namgung Seohee as well.'

Hadn't he also formed good ties with the Namgung Family, Hougae, and Cheongjin of Wudang?

And on top of that, he had gained a talent like Zhuge Hyeon.

'It's not all bad news.'

What he lost, he gained elsewhere.

'You can't carry everyone with you anyway.'

If someone refused to be bound together, Cheon Muyang had no intention of forcing it.

'As long as they don't get in my way…'

He wouldn't touch them.

'But if they side with the Demonic Cult, or become even a minor obstacle…'

He stopped.

Cheon Muyang's steps came to a halt.

"Hrk!"

Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak instantly drew their inner energy to its limit.

Otherwise, it felt like they would be swallowed whole by the pressure blooming from Cheon Muyang's body.

'I'll cut them all down.'

That intent spread in all directions.

Goooooo!

Unintentionally,

Cheon Muyang triggered an emergency within the Namgung Family.

"Where is it!"

Not only Namgung Gwan—

Even Namgung Pil—

Came rushing over in a panic, only to witness a situation too absurd to laugh at.

"Hey, don't you think you're overdoing it?"

"...."

The Wolf King grumbled.

"Honestly, you really are a ruffian—causing trouble right to the very end."

"It's not trouble—!"

"Then what is it?"

"Haa...."

This time, Cheon Muyang conceded.

"Heh heh heh. Heavenly Hero, my ass. You're still a ruffian—through and through."

Crack.

The aftermath inevitably led to a sparring match between the Wolf King and Cheon Muyang.

***

The Green Forest.

Once merely a bandit group, it had now grown into a massive force composed of seventy-two mountain strongholds.

The supreme leader of the Green Forest was the Green Forest Fighting King, the man who had once stormed Shaolin alone and earned the acknowledgment of the Divine Monk.

Kwaaang!

A thunderous crash echoed through the stronghold where the Fighting King resided, early in the morning.

"Tsk. So noisy first thing in the day."

The Fighting King frowned.

"That damned old man…."

Before him stood a gigantic man with a tiger the size of a house slung over his shoulder.

He was the Fighting King's disciple—Fighting Ghost.

"That axe was mine!"

"So? You got a problem with that?"

"You took someone else's axe without a word—how can you be so shameless?"

Thud!

Throwing the tiger down in front of him, Fighting Ghost rolled his shoulders.

Crack, crack!

Bones popped as raw fighting intent surged forth.

"You want to try me?"

"It's been a while since I've seen my master, so…."

"So?"

"We should trade blows!"

Whoosh!

A fist tore through the air.

The Fighting King's eyes gleamed.

"Oh? Your punches have gotten cleaner."

"My great master stole my axe—I need something to swing."

The Fighting King burst into laughter.

"Good! Let's see what you've got!"

Kuuung!

Two fists collided in midair.

Kwaang, kwaaang!

The thunderous sounds spread in all directions.

As they exchanged punches with the intent to beat each other senseless, Fighting Ghost suddenly asked,

"Then where did you sell my axe?"

"That's what you were curious about?"

"My axe!"

"The Cheon Family. The eldest son of the Cheon Family."

"The Cheon Family?"

Fighting Ghost tilted his head.

Wasn't that some insignificant sect in Zhejiang?

'To a place like that?'

Reading his thoughts, the Fighting King replied with a grin.

"Want to go see for yourself?"

"I'll handle it my own way!"

"As you wish."

Kwaaang!

The brawl continued.