“I’ll summon them right away.”As Gu Chunyang, the assistant constable, sprang to his feet, Kwak Yeon spoke coldly.“Considering how I tracked you down at this hour of the morning, it’d be wise not to try anything foolish. Also, I already know exactly which constables are lodging here.”Gu Chunyang naturally assumed this young martial artist belonged to an extraordinary organization.Otherwise, there was no explaining how he’d found him so quickly.“Of course, sir.”A short while later, the assistant constables staying at the pavilion all gathered in the room.“Gu Chunyang, what the hell’s so urgent you called us all here?”“Did the magistrate hand down another big case? Just spit it out already.”“Go inside. You’ll hear for yourselves.”“Hear from who exactly?”“You’ll know once you go in.”The last two assistant constables to enter the room recoiled in shock.The constables who arrived earlier were all bowing their heads to a young man seated at the center.“What the hell is this? Who the hell are you—argh!”The clueless constable was struck in the solar plexus by a silver coin that flew through the air, sending him tumbling.Another constable, quick to bolt for the door, was struck squarely in the back and fell flat.“Ugh!”“Eight of you. The number checks out.”At Kwak Yeon’s words, Gu Chunyang bowed deeply.“Correct. We all stayed here after finishing late last night.”The fallen constable, still dazed, flushed with anger.“Who the hell are you? We’re constables of this prefecture, and you think you’ll—gah!”Crack!His teeth shattered and flew in every direction as Kwak Yeon kicked him square in the face.“Grrk!”Watching his clueless colleague suffer misfortune, Gu Chunyang found himself grateful.The more this great hero vented his anger on others, the more his own chances of survival increased.Come on, say one more stupid thing…But the foolish constable, seemingly grasping the situation at last, slammed his forehead to the floor.Thud!While Gu Chunyang clicked his tongue in regret, Kwak Yeon addressed the cowering constables.“Raise your heads.”The assistant constables all lifted their heads in unison.Kwak Yeon turned to the nearest constable and asked calmly,“Which hand do you use to hold a brush?”The constable’s eyes darted nervously.“…Great hero, why do you ask…?”“Your dominant hand. Right or left?”“Right… I’m right-handed.”Kwak Yeon looked to Gu Chunyang for confirmation.Gu Chunyang, puzzled but quick to comply, answered,“Great hero, that’s correct.”Without warning, Kwak Yeon grabbed the constable’s right hand and addressed the group.“I came here today to take your lives in punishment for your collective crimes. But I’ve come to realize not all the blame rests solely on you.”Relief washed over the constables, their faces brightening—only for the room to be filled with a sickening sound.Crack! Crunch!“Arrrgh!”The bones in the constable’s hand shattered to dust, and his agonized screams echoed through the room.“Ahhh… Ugh!”Kwak Yeon swiftly pressed the acupoint, and silence returned to the room.He was the one to break that silence again.“And so, I’ve decided to strip away the skill that enabled your misdeeds, ensuring you no longer accumulate such sins.”It was only then that Gu Chunyang realized his own right hand had been completely pulverized into a bloody mess. The terror and panic had made him forget.And with that came crystal-clear understanding.Without the ability to wield a brush, his career as an assistant constable was over.So my life as a constable is already finished!In the midst of despair, he also realized why this young martial artist had twice confirmed the dominant hand of the other constable.He wanted to make absolutely sure no one here could continue working as constables.Gu Chunyang’s fear deepened at the calculating ruthlessness that defied Kwak Yeon’s youthful appearance.“Which is your dominant hand?”Kwak Yeon asked the next constable in line.The man trembled as he shot a furtive glance at Gu Chunyang.Seeing Gu Chunyang cradling his crushed right hand, the constable’s heart sank.He and Gu Chunyang had been rivals.There was no way Gu Chunyang, whose life was now ruined, would lie to protect him.“…My right hand.”With great difficulty, the constable pressed his forehead to the floor, trembling as he pleaded.“Great hero, please… at least spare my right hand. Take my left, or even my leg, instead…”Kwak Yeon shook his head firmly.“Your dominant hand—or your life. There are no other choices.”The constable sobbed desperately.“Great hero, the only skill I have is writing. Without that, I can’t survive… please, show mercy.”Kwak Yeon’s eyes turned cold as he asked,“What mercy did you show the people of Sangjeon Village yesterday?”“…!”The constable’s face drained of color.“Choose now. Your life—or your right hand?”“…Great hero…”“I’m not a patient man. Beg once more, and I’ll assume you’ve chosen death.”Clang!Kwak Yeon unsheathed the Cheonggang Sword and set it on the table.Seeing the blue steel blade, the constable hesitated, then reluctantly extended his right hand.Kwak Yeon seized the hand and gripped it tightly.Crunch!“Arrrgh! Ugh!”As Kwak Yeon struck the acupoint and released his grip, the constable’s hand crumpled into a bloody, mangled lump.The bones were shattered beyond recognition.It was the refinement of Chae-gyeong, capable of squeezing resin from pine and grinding stones to dust—leaving the hand utterly destroyed was inevitable.Kwak Yeon turned to the next constable.“Which is your dominant hand?”The man’s eyes darted wildly as he stammered.“R-Right hand. My right hand, sir.”Kwak Yeon looked at Gu Chunyang.“Is that correct?”Gu Chunyang hesitated for a moment.Immediately, Kwak Yeon grabbed the constable’s left hand.The constable’s face contorted in panic.“Great hero… I swear, I’m right-handed.”“Then wouldn’t it be fortunate for your left hand to be ruined instead?”“…Pardon?”As Kwak Yeon squeezed with force, the sound of bones breaking echoed gruesomely.Crack!“Aaaargh! Ugh!”Kwak Yeon let go of the constable’s left hand, mangled like crumpled paper, and turned to Gu Chunyang.“Assistant Constable Gu, from now on you’ll have to live as nothing but an ordinary commoner. Think you can endure the harassment from these constables? If so, lie. At least that one might’ve been a halfway decent constable.”Gu Chunyang shuddered involuntarily and replied,“Great hero, I’ll speak the full truth.”Kwak Yeon shifted his gaze to the remaining assistant constables.“As I said earlier, I have urgent matters and no time to waste. From this point on, anyone who lies… I’ll be forced to use this sword.”The assistant constables turned pale and trembled visibly.Even amidst their panic, two constables shot fleeting glares at Gu Chunyang.But Gu Chunyang raised his mangled right hand and glared back with wide eyes, causing them to immediately lower their heads.They had been friendly enough, but only within the context of their shared status as constables. The moment one’s status changed, they knew better than anyone what fate awaited them.Kwak Yeon addressed the next constable in line.“Your choice?” Roughly an instant later, Kwak Yeon stepped out of Gijeong Pavilion.There were considerably more people moving through the streets now. As Kwak Yeon turned toward the prefecture’s east gate, he sensed something out of place.When he looked back, there wasn’t anyone suspicious in sight.After briefly scanning the street, Kwak Yeon turned and slipped into a secluded alleyway.Drawing out his internal energy to its limits, he executed his movement technique.Once Kwak Yeon vanished, a man emerged from the very alley he had been observing moments earlier.The man cast a wistful glance toward Gijeong Pavilion before turning away.His figure faded like smoke, then glided across rooftops like a hawk soaring between eaves. Even though daylight had fully broken, the main hall of Geumseong Manor still blazed with lamplight.Inside the hall, the Flame King Temple members squinted bleary eyes at towering piles of silver ledgers as they finalized accounts.“Boss Gong, don’t you think the commission fee’s a bit excessive?”Clatter! Slam!Flame King Temple regional head, Gong Yeomgak, slammed the abacus down onto the desk with a sharp snap.“Excessive, you say?”Gong Yeomgak roared at the others, his tone aggressive.“Weren’t those debt notes destined to be forgotten anyway? We basically made free money—so how can the commission possibly be excessive?”A coarse-voiced Flame King Temple member growled back,“Boss Gong, honestly, it’s not exactly free for us. We traveled from far away, spent time, expenses—we put in plenty of effort too.”Gong Yeomgak shot him a fierce glare.“And Geumseong Manor? We’ve been housing and feeding you, sending out messages, bribing the constables behind the scenes—you think we’re running a charity here?”“Truthfully, Geumseong Manor’s hospitality hasn’t exactly been stellar either, has it?”The rough-voiced member sneered, provoking Gong Yeomgak to slam his palm down on the desk.Boom!“So now that your business is done, you’re getting greedy? When we first called you here, it was all gratitude—thanking us for the windfall—now you want to bicker over a few silver coins?”“Boss Gong, gratitude is gratitude, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ but business is business.”Another Flame King Temple member chimed in with a raspy voice.“He’s right, Elder Jang speaks the truth. You never know when you might rely on us too, Boss Gong.”As the argument dragged on, irritation grew among some of the others.“Enough already! At this rate, we’ll never finish the settlement.”“Agreed, let’s wrap it up quick—Boss Gong, stop nitpicking over the expenses.”“Boss Gong, everyone’s got a long road ahead and plenty to do—let’s finish this and move on. Get the abacus ready.”It was then a frigid voice rang out from beyond the hall doors.“There’s no need to bother with that settlement.”Every Flame King Temple member turned their gaze toward the entrance.“Who the hell…?”Clunk.The hall doors creaked open, and Kwak Yeon stepped inside.A Flame King Temple member glanced at Gong Yeomgak and asked,“Boss Gong, who’s that?”“No idea.”“Then where the hell are the guards? How did some outsider stroll in here?”Gong Yeomgak scowled.“Is this the time to bicker about that? First, we grab him, then we ask questions.”“Fair enough.”Annoyed by the earlier argument, the rough-voiced Flame King Temple member was the first to draw his blade.Shiiing!He planned to blow off steam with a good, clean sword strike.“However you snuck in, you clearly don’t know whose gathering this is. What a joke—you brat.”Charging boldly toward Kwak Yeon, the Flame King Temple member suddenly tilted unnaturally to one side.

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