“Great warrior, surely… surely there’s something else I can do to help you, isn’t there? So please…”Shiiik!The Cheonggang Sword sliced clean through one of Gong Yeom-gak’s legs.“Grrrgh!”Clutching his severed limb, Gong Yeom-gak collapsed to the floor, trembling, as Kwak Yeon spoke calmly.“That’s the greatest help you can offer. When your Yamwangsa underlings see you like this, perhaps they’ll gain a shred of caution.”“Grrgh…”“If I hear rumors of this place within the next few days, I’ll return.”The terrifying implication behind those words sent a chill through Gong Yeom-gak’s body, yet he gritted his teeth and forced a response.“We… we’ll seal off the manor completely. And with everyone needing treatment, you can rest assured, Great Warrior. Nothing will leave this place.”With a bitter feeling lingering, Kwak Yeon turned and departed Geumseongjang.He had sworn to harden himself before injustice, and indeed, his rage was overflowing.Yet, when the time came, his sword did not aim for their throats, but their legs.“The true martial essence of Wudang exists to cleanse the world of wickedness.”Recalling the words of Daoist Master Unseon, Kwak Yeon barely restrained his thirst for vengeance.Unleashing his fury fully may have satisfied him in the moment—but the thirst would return, deeper, more consuming.The more one indulges in bloodshed, the more numbness invites the demon of the heart—Simma.Resisting Simma, and knowing when to stop, was itself an act of courage.Moreover, indiscriminate slaughter only distanced him further from Mugeuk Realm.Cutting the Yamwangsa’s legs would not erase their evil.But they would never carry out their wicked work again. They’d return to their homes—crippled—and their appearance alone would serve as a warning.Other Yamwangsa would learn: cross the line, and they’d meet the same fate.Perhaps at least, the scum who pressed blades to a child’s neck would grow fewer.The Yamwangsa were parasites, feeding at the edges of greed.But the true villains were those who crafted the trap known as Yamwang Bonds—fastening them around the necks of the common people.Those responsible strutted about in broad daylight, respected and unchallenged.Kwak Yeon had seen the world’s darker side.Ever since descending the mountain, he’d observed a world where the lines between righteousness and evil, orthodoxy and demonic ways, were blurred beyond recognition.In truth, the simple logic of Cheongyang Swordsman Hong Su-cheon rang truer by the day:“The orthodox harm only their targets; the heretics use any means; but the demonic harm everyone close to their targets.”By that standard, Kwak Yeon pondered where Sang Gwan-jin-ho, the Chief of Cheongujang, belonged.Willing to use any means for his goals, hiding behind the name of righteousness—the man was clearly Sado, a heretic.The time would come to strip away his facade and deliver retribution.If not, the Sangwan Family’s retaliation would descend upon Sangjeon Village.Kwak Yeon didn’t yet know exactly what snare Sang Gwan-jin-ho was preparing.But without the snare, there was no way to trap his prey.Resolved, Kwak Yeon quickened his pace toward Deokseong Prefecture Fortress. ****Yamwangsa Jeongeum Branch Overseer Gong Yeom-gak finished staunching the bleeding and applied medicinal powder to the stump of his leg.Pale-faced, he surveyed the grand hall reeking of blood and iron.Yamwangsa with severed legs lay strewn across the floor, groaning in agony.“Is this a dream…?”Even seeing it with his own eyes, Gong Yeom-gak struggled to believe it.The petty bickering over pocket change felt like a distant memory, overshadowed by despair.In truth, surviving at all was a miracle.He’d felt it—the murderous aura when that man swung his sword.In that moment, he knew—death was mere seconds away, yet the man restrained himself.In any case, Gong Yeom-gak’s days as Yamwangsa were over.He’d always known this life would end one way or another.Most Yamwangsa died poisoned by substances they never knowingly consumed—or with a blade buried in their back.“Heh… I suppose losing a leg isn’t the worst outcome.”Looking at the crippled Yamwangsa around him, a new concern arose.Who would cover the cost of their treatment, food, and lodging?The promissory notes obtained from this venture had all been seized by that man.Oddly enough, Gong Yeom-gak recalled how the man had also taken Jin Go-cheok’s heavy blade before leaving.“For now, no one leaves the manor for a few days.”The last thing they needed was that man returning.Not that the Yamwangsa were physically capable of leaving.If anything, Gong Yeom-gak worried they’d never leave—parasitically lingering here.Once the hall quieted somewhat, Gong Yeom-gak addressed the Yamwangsa.“So… what are your plans now?”One of them answered bluntly.“What plans, Overseer? Didn’t you hear what that man said? We stay put. Few days.”“Grrgh…”“First, send for a physician. These wounds… powder alone won’t cut it.”“A physician?”Gong Yeom-gak’s eyes darkened.“And who’s footing that bill?”The Yamwangsa’s gazes sharpened, their eyes turning feral.The boldest among them snapped.“Overseer! This happened at Geumseongjang, didn’t it? Meaning you’re responsible for all of it.”Their eyes, poisoned by resentment, gleamed ominously.Though Gong Yeom-gak had spent years thick-skinned in this cutthroat world, he wasn’t one to be intimidated easily.“If you’ve lost your legs, maybe act accordingly—don’t bark at me like you’ve still got them.”“Overseer, are you mocking us?”“Mocking you? You lot were worthless even when your legs were intact. Playing Yamwangsa made you think you mattered, but you’re nothing.”“……”“My guards alone could sweep what’s left of you off the floor. So shut your mouths—I’ll feed you for a few days.”The Yamwangsa’s eyes bloodshot with rage.“Damn you… Gong, you’ve crossed a line.”“Go ahead, call your guards, you bastard. We’ll slit your throat before they arrive.”Without hesitation, Gong Yeom-gak pulled the signal rope beside the table.“Happy to oblige. I just signaled them.”Intent on making an example out of the more unruly ones, Gong Yeom-gak waited confidently.Even those standing with weapons—crippled as they were—posed no threat.The door burst open.“See? The guards are already—huh?”Instead of his men, an unfamiliar figure stepped into the hall.“Who the hell are you?”The man answered with a cold, detached smile.“……”The moment Gong Yeom-gak saw that smile, he understood who this man was.He didn’t need to look at the bloodstained sword in the man’s hand to know.More than anything—the air around this man was different.The previous intruder… there was humanity in his eyes, a trace of hesitation, even hope.But this man’s face—expressionless, merciless.Gong Yeom-gak trembled like a leaf.“Death God…”“What nonsense are you—”A Yamwangsa turned to protest, only to realize Gong Yeom-gak hadn’t been speaking nonsense.The man swung his sword mid-stride.Shiiik!Not a leg or an arm this time.A head.Only then did the Yamwangsa comprehend.The previous man—the one who cut their legs—had been merciful. Human.But this man?A chilling smile curled at the stranger’s lips.The slaughter began.It didn’t last long.With most Yamwangsa already crippled, resistance was pitiful.Even if they’d been whole, it would’ve been futile.Gong Yeom-gak stared blankly at the unfolding massacre.Escape was impossible. He understood that much—and what must’ve happened outside as well.He watched as the Death God finished his grim work.At last, the man stood before him.Gong Yeom-gak, entranced, whispered:“Why…?”He realized then—he hadn’t tried to flee because he needed to ask that question.Genuine curiosity gnawed at him.This wasn’t someone sent to punish petty evils.This was someone far beyond that.Why would such a figure lower himself to kill the likes of them?The Death God grinned.“Mute?”Gong Yeom-gak assumed so.Many assassins cut their own tongues to guard secrets.The twisted smile confirmed his suspicion.But then—“So curious, are you?”Gong Yeom-gak’s eyes widened, shocked the man could speak.His reply caught in his throat.“A curiosity worse than {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} death? Then I’ll answer. But first—tell me about the Cave Daoist.”“……?”“Of course, you have no choice.”Even half out of his mind, Gong Yeom-gak understood—the Cave Daoist was the young swordsman from before.And he fully grasped the meaning behind having no choice.The moment the man smiled without killing him, he’d been marked for interrogation.“I… I’ll tell you.”Forcing the words out through sheer terror, Gong Yeom-gak confessed everything about the Cave Daoist.And where the young master had gone.“This… this map of Cheongujang is proof.”He pointed to the crude drawing on the table, indicating the Chief’s office.The man smiled faintly.“So, what is it you’re curious about?”“W-Why… why are you killing us? What wrong did we commit against you?”“You? You’ve done nothing wrong.”“Then why…?”“My lord wished to see blood trailing behind that man.”“What…?”Gong Yeom-gak couldn’t finish the question.His head soared into the air.Thunk!“Sorry I can’t answer that one,” the man muttered, wiping the blood from his sword onto Gong Yeom-gak’s clothes.“Truth is… I don’t know either.” ****Near Deokseong Prefecture Fortress’s east gate, Kwak Yeon encountered two men walking the highway.An elderly man with white hair and fair skin.And a second, his face obscured by a deep straw hat.Upon seeing the old man, Kwak Yeon frowned faintly.What an improbable coincidence.The first time they’d met, Kwak Yeon had been pressed for time—and now, yet again.“Ho! Daoist Kwak, what fortune to run into you.”The elder—Danmok Seong, Supreme Head of the Danmok Clan, and an old friend—greeted Kwak Yeon with cheerful familiarity, as if fate itself had arranged their meeting.

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