So Eungbang (1)
They were agitated.
Because of that, they did not even consider the possibility that Cheon Muyang was a master of the martial world.
That was understandable—
from Cheon Muyang, they felt none of the wild, predatory pressure that typically emanated from a true martial expert.
"What are you doing over one brat! Don't let your guard down—gang up on him properly! Looks like he learned a little martial arts somewhere and got cocky. Does he even know where he is!"
"Then why don't you come first."
Cheon Muyang sneered at the leader who only flapped his mouth.
Hiding behind others while doing nothing himself looked laughable.
"Answer me. Did you really come from So Eungbang?"
"So what if we did!"
Another man who had drawn his sword rushed toward Cheon Muyang.
His intent to take Cheon Muyang's head in a single strike surged forth—
but it was only intent.
"Tsk."
He lacked even the basics.
His lower body could not even maintain proper balance,
to the point that Cheon Muyang nearly yawned.
"First, I'll deal with you lot."
Whoosh!
Barely evading the blade, Cheon Muyang closed the distance in a single step toward the man who had swung his sword.
"Hhk!"
He twisted his body in haste, trying to flee,
but Cheon Muyang's fist was faster.
Thud!
Several teeth scattered through the air.
The man who was sent flying lay completely motionless.
"I intend to go to So Eungbang and demand answers."
"K-kill him!"
Perhaps realizing that it was kill or be killed, they all moved at once.
They had formed a encirclement,
but to Cheon Muyang's eyes, it was nothing but full of gaps.
"If you can kill me, then try."
Cheon Muyang counted those remaining.
Out of six, two were already taken out—four remained.
"Four, huh...."
Whooong!
He raised Cheongwang.
Then, with a face devoid of emotion, he spoke.
"I'll take at least two heads."
Flinch!
The footsteps of all four stopped.
They were afraid that they might be the two.
The shallowness of it all made him laugh.
"What? Don't want to die? Too bad—it's already too late."
In Cheon Muyang's vision,
a couple was huddled in a corner, clutching their child and trembling in terror.
Their bodies were covered in bruises and wounds.
They must have been beaten before Cheon Muyang arrived.
"You already crossed the line."
The Cheon Clan forbade exploitation.
Their policy was to collect only what was rightfully owed to the state—no more.
So Eungbang had violated that taboo.
Flinch.
A different kind of aura rose from Cheon Muyang's entire body.
To those already overwhelmed, it felt all the more suffocating.
"Y-you're… a martial arts master?"
Only now did they seem to realize
that they had provoked someone they should never have touched.
Heh.
Cheon Muyang shook his head.
"I'm not a martial arts master."
He knew better than anyone that he was not yet worthy of calling himself one.
But—
He was more than enough to pass judgment on unjust corruption.
"Still, I'm more than enough to punish you."
Whooong!
Cheongwang held no mercy.
After all, they had shown none themselves.
Flash!
Someone's chest split open.
With indifferent eyes, Cheon Muyang watched the collapsing body
and swung his sword once more.
Clang!
Sword met sword.
"I blocked—!"
So he thought.
But it was a grave mistake.
Cheongwang shattered the opponent's blade itself.
As the sword broke in half, Cheongwang buried itself into his heart.
"Now there are two left."
Two were dead.
And he had no intention whatsoever of sparing the remaining two.
"I'll make sure you never swagger around again with that pathetic scrap of power."
They struggled desperately.
But it was meaningless.
Thud!
Cheon Muyang's fist sank into one man's dantian.
With the sound of something breaking,
he collapsed while vomiting blood.
"Ah...."
It was meager strength,
but losing the internal energy accumulated over a lifetime
was a devastating loss.
"Ghk!"
He shattered the dantian of the man who appeared to be the leader as well.
Then, grabbing him by the nape of the neck,
he asked the couple—
"Do you know where So Eungbang is located?"
"Ah...."
"Just tell me where it is."
"I-I'll guide you there."
Perhaps they had found some courage.
No longer trembling in fear, the couple stood up.
"May I ask you one thing?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think what I did was cruel?"
"...."
One man had lost an arm.
Two were dead, and two had been reduced to cripples.
He was asking whether that was cruel.
"Yes. It was cruel."
"Is that so?"
"But... we know it was something you did for us."
They shed tears.
No one had stepped forward.
This couple, too, had merely cowered in a corner and trembled whenever others were being abused.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Before those hot tears, Cheon Muyang once again realized why he had to become strong.
'A world where lacking power becomes a sin.'
They were not guilty.
Yet they lived like criminals.
Because they had no power.
"Why did you not inform the Cheon Clan about this?"
"Th-the Cheon Clan...!"
The couple trembled in fear at once.
Seeing this, Cheon Muyang realized that something was terribly wrong.
"What happened?"
"Well, th-that is...."
"It's all right. I am from the Cheon Clan."
"...!"
Eyes of respect instantly turned into eyes of suspicion.
Distrust toward the Cheon Clan could be felt.
"D-did you really come from the Cheon Clan?"
"Yes. You may trust me. I came to uproot corruption within the Cheon Clan."
"Th-that is...."
Even so, their hesitation suggested fear far beyond the ordinary.
Unable to bear it, the wife spoke.
"In the past, unable to endure So Eungbang's evildoings, we submitted a written complaint to the Cheon Clan. And then the Cheon Clan came to find us."
"Who was it?"
"He said he was the Head of the Inspection Division."
Crunch.
Cheon Muyang clenched his teeth.
It was obvious what had happened.
He understood their fear of the Cheon Clan.
"He thoroughly investigated those who submitted the complaint."
Just as expected.
"And then...."
The wife could not continue.
The child, who had been in their parents' arms, finished her words.
"The man next door and the man behind us disappeared."
"...."
"Gaeddongi's family cries every day. Dusik's family left the village entirely."
Cheon Muyang closed his eyes.
Even as such things were happening right before them, the Cheon Clan had failed to notice.
'A perfect cover-up.'
The distrust and fear toward the Cheon Clan were, in a way, understandable.
Perhaps the people of Sohung hated the Cheon Clan even more than So Eungbang.
'So public sentiment was collapsing where it could not be seen.'
Collapsed public sentiment.
It was surely deeply connected to the hollow downfall of the Cheon Clan.
'So there were this many who were eating away at the clan.'
They had been deceived by the so-called hooligan, Cheon Muyang.
His existence was only one factor—
never the core cause of the Cheon Clan's downfall.
"The Head of the Inspection Division...."
He was said to be an appointee of the Council of Elders—nothing more than a pawn.
Still, cutting off that pawn was where it had to begin.
"On behalf of the Cheon Clan, I apologize for the disgraceful incidents that have occurred."
Cheon Muyang slowly bowed his head.
Seeing this, the couple looked puzzled.
"M-may we ask who you are within the Cheon Clan?"
Cheon Muyang lifted his head and said,
"I am the Cheon Clan's hooligan eldest young master, Cheon Muyang."
"...!"
The couple gasped in shock.
But Cheon Muyang paid it no mind and spoke to the child.
"Child, may I ask you to guide me to where So Eungbang is?"
"Yes! Just follow me!"
"Is that all right?"
"Ah, y-yes...."
"Please gather the villagers and come to So Eungbang."
"...?"
"I intend to properly show what hooliganism truly is."
Cheon Muyang dragged the two unconscious men who had lost their dantians by the nape of their necks and walked out of the shop.
The child trotted after him.
"Which way do we go?"
"This way."
"Let's go, then."
The child guided him through winding paths.
Before long, a grand estate appeared.
"This is So Eungbang."
The child whispered.
Cheon Muyang gently patted the child's head once.
"Thank you. Now go back to your parents."
"Yes! Big brother, good luck!"
The child ran back the way they had come.
Watching that, Cheon Muyang felt something stir deeply in his chest.
"Strength, huh... I must have it."
Cheon Muyang walked straight toward the gatekeepers guarding So Eungbang.
"Halt! This is So Eungbang!"
"I know. I've come to see the Lord. How about opening the way?"
"What? You insolent brat! Do you know where you are right now?!"
"L-look at that!"
The two gatekeepers saw what Cheon Muyang was dragging along.
"Gasp!"
Those were clearly warriors of So Eungbang who had gone out to collect stall fees.
"I am the Cheon Clan's eldest young master."
Cheon Muyang took out the identification plaque that proved his status.
A dragon symbolizing the Cheon Clan was engraved upon it.
"...!"
"Open the way."
"Ah, y-yes!"
Fortunately, they recognized the Cheon Clan's plaque.
Hadn't they been warned repeatedly?
If someone bearing the Cheon Clan's plaque came, they were not to interfere in any way.
"Where is the Lord?"
"Ah, th-that way."
The tallest pavilion.
That was likely where the Lord of So Eungbang's office was located.
"Ah, no need to guide me. And if any commotion happens, it'd be best for you to focus only on your original duties."
"Yes?"
Cheon Muyang gave a brief warning and headed toward where the Lord of So Eungbang was.
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"How should I know. Let's just keep our mouths shut."
"What about these two?"
"What do you mean what about them... if we touch them carelessly, we might be the ones in trouble."
The two were left at a loss.
At that moment—
Kwaaaang!
"Gasp!"
A tremendous explosion rang out.
The sound came from the direction of So Eungbang's office.
"...."
The gatekeepers stopped their idle chatter and looked at each other.
"W-we should...."
"We're gatekeepers, after all...."
"Let's just stay here."
"Right. We're supposed to guard the main gate, aren't we?"
They comforted themselves that way.
However, it was short-lived.
Rumble.
As residents of Sohung began to gather en masse, the gatekeepers' faces turned pale.
"What do we do?"
"I-I have no idea...."
With the two men still collapsed on the ground and the crowd closing in, the gatekeepers were stuck, unable to act one way or the other.
"Th-this is driving me crazy. Of all times, it had to be when we're on duty...."
The Lord of So Eungbang's office.
The Lord of So Eungbang was fiddling with some documents.
"Cover it up?"
The night before, a subordinate of the Head of the Inspection Division had secretly visited and ordered him to conceal all documents related to the corruption.
"Not a chance."
However, thinking that he might be made a scapegoat if things turned for the worst, the Lord of So Eungbang wanted to keep at least a minimal insurance policy.
"Who are they trying to fool?"
Villains recognize villains.
The Lord of So Eungbang had no intention of being the one who got burned.
As he was handling the documents, a disturbance arose outside the door.
"Y-you can't do this!"
"What is it?"
Kwaaaang!
With the flustered voice of a guard cut off, the door was blown apart.
"...!"
The Lord of So Eungbang sprang to his feet and grabbed his sword.
Whooong!
"Who goes there?!"
"Ah, Lord of So Eungbang? It was rather difficult just to get a meeting with you."
Flinch.
The Lord of So Eungbang tensed.
He tried several times to find an opening to strike, but there was not a single gap.
'Who is this?'
Just as that question arose—
Cheon Muyang smiled and spoke.
"Ah, my introduction is late. I am Cheon Muyang, the eldest young master of the Cheon Clan."
"E-eldest young master?!"
The Lord of So Eungbang's eyes flew wide open.
Cheon Muyang was smiling.
However, his eyes were not.