Chapter 31

Chapter 31
When Baek So-cheon finally made his way back to the Mun-seong branch, Jeong-pung, the leader of the Jeol-gang branch, was already pacing back and forth in a state of sheer panic.

“Where on earth have you been wandering off to?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Are you serious? Yeom Jeong-gil has been carrying on like an absolute madman.”

He had already spent several days locked inside the interrogation chamber. Had his internal energy not been bound and suppressed, he surely would have obliterated the heavy door and broken free long before now.

Jeong-pung had spent the entire time suffering through all manner of terrifying thoughts—dreading what would become of him if Baek So-cheon had simply vanished into thin air. Seeing him return felt like being dragged back from the very edge of the grave.

“What do you intend to do now?”

Confined deep within the branch, both Yeom Jeong-gil and Wang Gon remained completely unaware of Jong-sa’s arrival or his subsequent disappearance. Given the window of time, even Shin-hwa-bang, who had dispatched him in the first place, had almost certainly failed to notice his absence yet.

“Begin the interrogations now, Branch Leader Jeong. Deal with them as harshly as you can, and make sure they think your hands are tied by direct directives from the higher-ups. Put the fear of heaven into them by claiming that the Yang Chu incident has exploded into a major issue closely scrutinized by headquarters.”

“You want me to fabricate a story?”

“Why would that be a lie?”

“Headquarters has no clue about any of this.”

“They know perfectly well. Every single detail unfolding here is already on their radar. In fact, Hyun-cheon Pavilion has most likely initiated a formal investigation into Shin-hwa-bang by this point.”

The reality of the situation suddenly struck Jeong-pung like a physical blow—the person standing right before him was none other than Baek So-cheon.

He had foolishly written him off as nothing more than a ruined, disgraced figure, completely overlooking the man’s profound, lingering connections with the Murim Alliance. If their watchful gaze was fixed upon Baek So-cheon, they were undoubtedly tracking everything taking place here as well.

Realizing that, Jeong-pung felt immense relief that he had chosen to follow Baek So-cheon’s lead. Aligning himself with Shin-hwa-bang while Hyun-cheon Pavilion maintained sharp surveillance over the situation? The sheer thought sent an icy shiver down his spine.

Jeong-pung proceeded to interrogate Yeom Jeong-gil and Wang Gon one after the other.

Just as Baek So-cheon had directed, he cultivated an atmosphere thick with dread, making it abundantly clear that the matter had spiraled completely beyond his personal control.

Only after thoroughly crushing their spirits with terror did Baek So-cheon step into Wang Gon’s cell first.

“What took you an eternity to get here?”

“You don’t want to know. The tension out there is utterly lethal.”

Having already endured Jeong-pung’s grim interrogation, Wang Gon did not doubt Baek So-cheon’s words for a single second.

“You are facing immense danger, Branch Leader.”

“What kind of danger?”

“I caught wind of a conversation between Jeong-pung and his inner circle.”

“What were they saying?”

Wang Gon swallowed dryly, his throat tight with anxiety.

“They were actively debating whether you or Yeom Jeong-gil should take the fall for the entire disaster.”

“They what?”

Wang Gon drew back in sheer horror. The moment the words registered, every survival instinct screamed that he was being set up as the sacrificial pawn.

Pitting one of the four great warriors of Shin-hwa-bang against a mere South Branch Leader was never going to be an even contest from the start.

“With the main headquarters monitoring things so closely, they seem desperate to resolve everything with haste. That fellow Jeong-pung clearly harbors a ruthless desire to protect his own skin and rank.”

What if Jeong-pung truly decided to pin the whole crime on one of them?

Would headquarters actually intervene on his behalf to spare him?

Curse it all!

Not a chance. If the Murim Alliance formally labeled an individual a criminal, the bangju would discard him without a second thought to sever ties. He would do so against a rival of equal standing—let alone when facing the Alliance itself.

The incident would be framed as having zero connection to Shin-hwa-bang, reduced entirely to the isolated wrongdoing of a single rogue operative. To ensure his own survival, the bangju would gladly slice away far more than a simple tail; he would sever everything from the neck down if required.

Having languished trapped in this cell for days, receiving such catastrophic news made Wang Gon’s vision swim, nearly sending him sprawling to the floor.

“Did you… did you tell Great Hero Yeom this same thing?”

“No. I made sure to speak with you first.”

“Excellent, that is very good.”

“So, what is the plan now?”

Right at that crossroads of desperation, a single course of action flashed across Wang Gon’s mind.

It was the very first—and solitary—solution he could conceive: the precise method he relied on most frequently, the one he executed best. Raw coin.

He would buy off Jeong-pung to ensure Yeom Jeong-gil became the scapegoat instead. That was his only remaining path to survival.

Should the slaughter of the Yang Chu household be pinned directly on him, the only outcome was a swift execution.

Even if he managed to slip away from immediate death through desperate maneuvering and ended up rotting in an iron cell, Shin-hwa-bang would dispatch killers to silence him. He had lost his operational value anyway, and they would never allow someone privy to their darkest affairs to go on breathing.

Yet if Yeom Jeong-gil was made to shoulder the entire disaster, he might still walk away alive. At the very least, he could buy time until the Mun-seong branch’s iron ore venture came to an end, during which he could scramble to win back the bangju’s favor.

“Bring my son to this room immediately. I must speak with him.”

“That is out of the question. Gaining entry myself was nearly impossible.”

“Both our lives are hanging by a thread here! Do you honestly believe you will walk away unharmed if I am wiped off the board?”

“Are you attempting to threaten me?”

“I am telling you to recognize how dire this is. Throw everything you have into assisting me—if only for your own continued survival.”

“Understood. I will see what can be arranged.”

Baek So-cheon pushed himself up from his seat with an air of deep reluctance.

Nearly two hours later, he succeeded in bringing Wang U in to see his father.

Following two tense, hushed exchanges with his heir, Wang Gon pushed a hefty, packed envelope toward Baek So-cheon.

Tucked inside were one hundred individual banknotes worth 1,000 nyang each—amounting to an immense sum of 100,000 nyang.

It represented virtually every scrap of wealth he possessed: the silver reclaimed from the iron ore shipments, combined with heavy loans taken against his estate and prized possessions.

Wang U had desperately pleaded with him not to do it, arguing fiercely that alternative avenues had to exist, but Wang Gon had roared at him with furious authority until the younger man finally broke down and fetched the funds.

“Take this and purchase the branch leader’s loyalty. Instruct him to place the full blame squarely on Great Hero Yeom.”

He had assembled such an astronomical fortune solely to guarantee that Jeong-pung could not possibly turn it down. Knowing full well that Jeong-pung shared a closer bond with Yeom Jeong-gil, the sheer weight of the bribe had to be decisive.

“Why not have your son oversee the delivery?”

Wang Gon shook his head firmly. His son had previously objected to bribing Baek So-cheon and was currently grumbling bitterly about parting with such vast sums. Leaving an undertaking of this magnitude in his hands risked shattering the entire gambit.

“No. You must carry it out yourself.”

“Branch Leader Jeong hardly strikes me as the sort of man who accepts bribes. Do you truly believe he will take it?”

“He will. A sum of this magnitude leaves no room for hesitation.”

Wang Gon harbored total confidence. There was not a soul under the heavens capable of walking away from 100,000 nyang.

“Still… handing over every single coin leaves me wondering about my own compensation.”

Wang Gon stiffened internally at the shameless, blunt inquiry.

What an insatiable vulture! Clinging to thoughts of petty greed even as disaster loomed over their heads.

Yet he forced an unbothered, easy expression onto his face.

“Do not make the mistake of underestimating my resources. We are still a long way from the bottom of the chest.”

“Very well. I will attempt to sway Jeong-pung.”

Naturally, Baek So-cheon never bothered to approach Jeong-pung. He kept far away from the man’s quarters, heading straight to the financial exchange to store the fortune. The prior 100,000 nyang obtained from Cheon-geuk had been deposited with the Continental Exchange; this newly acquired sum was handed over to the Central Plains Exchange.

Accumulating wealth far more swiftly and effortlessly than during the tumultuous days of open war brought a faint, wry chuckle to his lips. To be sure, the underlying essence of this coin differed entirely from what he had earned in his previous existence.

Yet currency functioned identically regardless of its origin. Funds ripped away from ruthless villains or harvested through death would inevitably be redirected toward saving lives down the line—his own included.

Leaving Wang Gon to stew in agonizing anticipation, Baek So-cheon strode out into the open courtyard to begin his martial training.

From this moment onward, it was no longer mere physical conditioning—it was the commencement of true martial discipline.

The Beon-cheon Gu-gwon was profoundly intricate and enigmatic.

This was especially true regarding its concluding forms; even Baek So-cheon, whose mastery had once placed him at the pinnacle of the martial world, found various passages thoroughly baffling. It made total sense why subsequent generations had completely failed to reach great heights with it.

Even so, he felt no trace of discouragement. His aim had never been the full, flawless mastery of Beon-cheon Gu-gwon anyway. He was neither foolish nor arrogant enough to dream of instant perfection.

He would simply pursue the training with every ounce of effort he could muster. The devotion to the process was what truly carried weight, rather than the eventual destination.

Embodying the essence of the wind, the moon, the sun, and the boundless sky, the Beon-cheon Gu-gwon was comprised of nine core fist forms.

Baek So-cheon set his sights on achieving absolute fluency in the opening three forms, which were specifically devised to redirect an enemy’s might against them or to generate immense devastation using minimal personal expenditure.

The First Fist: Wind Flowing Clouds Scatter.

Drawing from the natural phenomenon of wind sweeping clouds away, it held seven distinct patterns crafted to divert an adversary’s internal energy and deliver a crushing counterstrike.

The Second Fist: Wind Stilled Waves Calmed.

Taking cues from dying breezes and tranquil waters, it contained sixteen elusive maneuvers structured to slip past incoming assaults.

The Third Fist: Wind Whirling Lightning Striking.

Modeled after howling tempests and violent thunderbolts, it incorporated six vastly more aggressive and shattering strikes compared to the prior two.

Under normal circumstances, fist arts relied fundamentally on genuine internal energy to unlock their proper potency and swiftness. Baek So-cheon intended to bridge that massive gap purely through the refined capabilities of his conditioned physical form.

Fortunately, his comprehension of internal power surpassed nearly anyone alive. Having wielded such force at the very apex of the martial realm, he had spent years immersing himself daily in the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, a technique counted among the world’s most supreme arts.

He possessed an immaculate understanding of precisely how internal force traveled along meridians to manifest exterior strength, how it harmonized with raw muscular power, and the specific repercussions it produced.

Consequently, these initial three forms—distinct from the cataclysmic, explosive devastation of the later styles—could be reasonably simulated even through physical mechanics alone.

Whoosh—bang!

A sharp crack cut cleanly through the still air. To an untrained observer watching from afar, the strike bore all the hallmarks of a fist driven by authentic internal cultivation.

Throughout the entire night, the sharp, relentless rhythm of strikes, rapid footwork, and shifting movement never once fell silent.

—

With the arrival of the following dawn, Wang Gon was granted his freedom.

This had occurred, naturally, due to Baek So-cheon’s private prompting of Jeong-pung.

When an utterly exhausted and hollow-looking Wang Gon dragged his steps into the awaiting carriage, he found Baek So-cheon and Wang U already seated within.

A heavy veil of worry clouded Wang U’s features.

Yet his sorrow was not born of empathy for his father—it was the bitter thought of their squandered fortune that tore at his insides.

Though he masked his displeasure beneath a quiet exterior, profound resentment festered within his chest.

Why couldn’t the old man simply endure a little physical torment? Surely other solutions could have been uncovered. Tossing away that entire mountain of wealth after merely enduring a handful of miserable days seemed an unforgivable waste.

In truth, he had secretly hoped his father might never emerge from that dark cell at all. Had that happened, he could have inherited the family estate and indulged in endless luxury. An exceptional sire might rarely rear a useless cub, but a wretched dog of a father certainly never gave rise to a magnificent tiger either.

Turning toward Baek So-cheon, Wang Gon managed to speak.

“You have endured great difficulty on my behalf.”

“The branch leader showed reluctance at the start, but his hesitation melted away the moment he laid eyes on the sum.”

Wang Gon let out a derisive snort within his mind.

Naturally the man caved.

Not a mortal alive could maintain their integrity in front of 100,000 nyang. That very certainty was why he had parted with so monstrous an offering.

“Do you believe the accusations can truly be redirected toward Great Hero Yeom?”

“A definitive guarantee is impossible right now, but things should lean heavily in that direction.”

“You must guarantee this matter never reaches another soul—under any condition. I made certain to hammer that exact warning into Jeong-pung as well.”

“There is no need to fret over that. If word of this transaction ever slips out, he faces absolute ruin right alongside us.”

Leaving Jeong-pung’s fate entirely aside, should Yeom Jeong-gil ever discover what had transpired behind his back, his ferocious temper would not rest until blood was spilled in retribution.

In the meantime, Wang U’s thoughts were consumed by a completely different disaster.

“What do we do going forward? We do not even possess the means to compensate the hired fighters.”

“We will secure loans. As long as our heads remain attached to our shoulders, that lost coin is a trivial setback—we can reclaim our fortune in no time.”

Wang Gon genuinely believed his own words. He could simply extort harsher, heavier tribute from those dogs of the Heuk-su, or perhaps exploit this Baek So-cheon fellow to engineer an enormous windfall.

Reaching down, he unfastened a heavy gold band from his wrist and pushed it into Baek So-cheon’s hand.

“Accept this small token for now. You handled the task admirably.”

“Father!”

“My thanks.”

“Until we cross paths again.”

Baek So-cheon remained motionless on the stone path, quietly observing the carriage as it rolled into the distance. He held an intimate understanding of the foul lives Wang Gon and Wang U had led—and precisely what kind of ruinous end awaited them both.

Looking down at the gleaming gold ornament Wang Gon had bestowed upon him, he quietly slipped it over his own wrist before turning his steps once more toward the branch.