TRFM 14

Chapter 14

“Nice weather.”

After finishing sweeping, Yoo Sucheon sat down for a moment on the wooden porch.

These days, he had bits of time to rest here and there.

Partly because he had gotten used to the work, but more than that, it was because Jeon Akgwan was doing the work of two people.

‘Ever since he got caught after running away, he’s changed like a different person.’

It was clear how deeply Dan Hyeon-woo had instilled fear into him.

Jeon Akgwan seemed to have given up on everything.

As if he had accepted the life of a servant.

Yoo Sucheon let out a faint chuckle.

Though he had ended up living as a servant, his mind was at ease.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t miss the past.

Still, having stepped away from the martial world of Dosan Geomrim and gained a brief moment to breathe was bringing him peace of mind.

Except for the nagging of his mother-in-law, Jin Yeon-gyeong.

He wished time would pass like this without any incidents.

Someday, the anger of Jin Yeon-gyeong and Dan Hyeon-woo would fade as well.

As long as no one stirred trouble, it would surely happen.

That’s right.

As long as no one stirred trouble…

BANG!

Suddenly, the main gate of the Dan estate burst open with a loud crash.

Yoo Sucheon felt an ominous sense from the sound.

As expected, Dan Hyeon-woo entered while gripping someone by the collar.

Yoo Sucheon and Jeon Akgwan’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Cheon Ilseong?”

He swallowed hard, his throat going dry.

Two other men were being dragged along with Cheon Ilseong.

Their well-developed muscles revealed they were martial artists.

And not just any—experts.

Noticing their black martial uniforms, Yoo Sucheon tightly shut his eyes.

‘Assassins… So Cheon Ilseong finally… I told them in the council hall that following the strong is the law of the martial world, yet not a single one of them listens.’

The days he had spent striving for peace ended today.

From now on, a storm of blood would blow.

Yoo Sucheon glanced at Jeon Akgwan.

He was trembling like a leaf, drenched in cold sweat.

The fear from a few days ago must have resurfaced.

Dan Hyeon-woo slowly approached, gripping the collars of the three men in both hands.

Yoo Sucheon shuddered as he saw the abyss-like darkness settled in his eyes.

Dan Hyeon-woo spoke.

“The academy you introduced today was quite good.”

“Huh? The academy? Ah! It seems the young master of the Dan estate was admitted safely. But why bring that up now…?”

“Take care of them.”

Dan Hyeon-woo handed the three men in his grasp to Yoo Sucheon.

Understanding his intent, Yoo Sucheon quickly nodded.

There was no need for the master to step in for dealing with such trash.

And handing them over to him meant advancement.

Though he was a servant, he was a higher servant than the others.

Yoo Sucheon replied.

“Leave it to me. And I’ll have that brat Akgwan go to the market, so please rest in the meantime.”

Dan Hyeon-woo nodded and went into his room.

As soon as he disappeared, Cheon Ilseong let out a sigh of relief.

When he had been dragged out from his sickbed, he truly thought his heart would drop.

Had he known he would be handed over to Yoo Sucheon, he wouldn’t have been so terrified.

With a calmer expression than before, Cheon Ilseong spoke.

“Y–Yoo hyung, it’s such a relief to be in your hands. I was so scared on the way here I almost wet myself… I never imagined that guy would be this strong… Yoo hyung, this won’t do. Let’s join forces and call in an even stronger expert. But why did that idiot Dan Hyeon-woo just hand me over to you and go inside like that…?”

His words slowed.

Because killing intent flickered in Yoo Sucheon’s eyes.

Cheon Ilseong looked puzzled, while Yoo Sucheon raised the corner of his lips into a chilling smile.

“Want me to tell you why he went inside? Because I’m about to kill you now. So, where should I start cutting?”

Late at night.

Yoo Sucheon knocked on the paper door of Dan Hyeon-woo’s room.

“Come in.”

Entering his room for the first time, Yoo Sucheon was slightly surprised at how barren it was.

Just a blanket, a pillow, and a single sword he never parted with.

Dan Hyeon-woo was sitting cross-legged deeper inside the room.

“Cheon Ilseong will listen from now on. Of course… he’s been beaten half to death and won’t be able to get up for a few days, but regardless, I’ll make sure he doesn’t have any stray thoughts starting tomorrow. So if you could forgive him just this once…”

“Is that why you came? You asked me to leave him to you. So I did.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep a close watch on him from now on.”

“Is that all you came to say?”

Dan Hyeon-woo’s low voice echoed in the room.

He was asking for the real reason.

“Go Yong-su. That’s the name of the assassin Cheon Ilseong hired. And I know him as well.”

“Not his name. Why you came to see me.”

“He’s close with Paeng Jin-woo, the head of the Yongmun family, a branch family of the Hebei Paeng clan. And Cheon Ilseong also knows Paeng Jin-woo well. Paeng Jin-woo is the top expert in Hangzhou and has been running various businesses under the name of the Hebei Paeng branch family. Because of that, the Mokhwa Merchant Group likely had dealings with the Yongmun family as well.”

“So my appearance caused problems for the Yongmun family’s business.”

“That seems to be the case. However, Cheon Ilseong and the assassin with him are keeping their mouths shut. Crossing the Hebei Paeng branch family means crossing the main Paeng clan as well. That’s worse than death.”

“The Hebei Paeng branch family of the Eight Great Orthodox Families?”

“They’re called a branch, but in reality, they’re no different from the main line. Paeng Jin-woo is a cousin of Paeng Ji-ho, the head of the Hebei Paeng clan. He’s only treated as a branch member due to a major incident in the past, but he possesses the skill recognized as the best in Hangzhou.”

“So they won’t stay still.”

“They’ve likely noticed Go Yong-su’s failure and deployed men. They’ll try to eliminate any evidence.”

“Find out the movements of the Yongmun family’s martial artists.”

“M–Me?”

His voice trembled involuntarily.

Yoo Sucheon looked at him as if asking whether he was serious.

As always, Dan Hyeon-woo’s cold gaze stared at him without a ripple.

‘Damn it, Paeng Jin-woo is no easy opponent. And there are many experts in the Yongmun family…’

Just as even the top five experts of Zhejiang found Yoo Sucheon troublesome, he also found them troublesome.

If they clashed, victory was not guaranteed.

He raised his sweat-drenched face.

Dan Hyeon-woo still sat there, unmoving, staring at him.

Refusal was not an option anyway.

Calming his dry mouth, Yoo Sucheon said,

“I’ll look into it as soon as the sun rises.”

“Right now.”

“Night is when martial artists roam freely. If I go out now—”

“Why aren’t you going?”

A firm command.

He knew Dan Hyeon-woo’s nature—once he decided, he would push through to the end.

Yoo Sucheon nodded.

A servant must obey when the master commands.

Leaving him behind, Yoo Sucheon stepped outside and let out a sigh.

Though summer was near, a chilling cold ran through him.

Sweat from tension soaked his body.

“This might end up being my memorial day. Damn it, before I go, I should beat that bastard Cheon Ilseong a few more times.”

Whoosh!

As he swiftly crossed Hangzhou using lightness skill, his expression twisted.

A considerable number of Yongmun family martial artists had come out.

Because of that, he moved while hiding behind bushes and trees.

Pressed against an alley wall, Yoo Sucheon peeked out and observed the situation.

Even he, one of Hangzhou’s top experts, had no desire to fight an entire family.

‘Damn it, at this rate I’ll die first. Are they planning to settle things tonight?’

They were roaming the night streets to find Go Yong-su.

If he was dead, they would at least need to find the body to rest easy.

Whoosh!

He changed locations again.

Suppressing his energy, he peeked from the bushes and observed the Yongmun family’s atmosphere.

Paeng Jin-woo was issuing orders.

Yoo Sucheon perked up his ears.

If he didn’t bring back useful information, that grim reaper-like Dan Hyeon-woo wouldn’t let him off.

Paeng Jin-woo’s voice rang out.

“What about Go Yong-su’s whereabouts?”

“No one has seen him. The movements of the Dan estate’s eldest son are also still unknown.”

“We must handle this carefully. The eldest son of the Dan estate might be stronger than expected.”

“It’s likely Go Yong-su is dead. It’s as if he vanished.”

Paeng Jin-woo nodded.

He was probably dead.

But what concerned him was how much he had revealed before dying.

And if Go Yong-su was dead, then the eldest son of the Dan estate was stronger than expected—that was the problem.

Paeng Jin-woo spoke.

“Before dealing with the Dan estate’s eldest son, capture Yoo Sucheon first and extract information. Experts should move in groups of five. And if you find Yoo Sucheon, prevent him from escaping and contact me.”

“May we be a bit rough? If it’s Yoo Sucheon, even five of our experts attacking together won’t have the luxury to hold back.”

“As long as he has a mouth left to answer my questions.”

“Understood.”

The Yongmun family experts scattered.

Yoo Sucheon’s face turned pale as cold sweat poured down.

‘Are they insane? Why is the arrow pointing at me?!’

The Yongmun family used the combined formation of the Hebei Paeng clan.

If five experts formed a formation and attacked, even Yoo Sucheon would struggle.

This was why he hated fighting an entire family.

He regretted leaving Cheon Ilseong alive.

At the very least, he should have torn his mouth apart.

Rustle, rustle—

Yoo Sucheon moved through the bushes.

If he wanted to live, he had to run back to the Dan estate immediately.

Suppressing his energy, a drop of sweat fell from his forehead.

It landed on a dry twig in the bushes.

Tap!

At that sound, Paeng Jin-woo, who had been about to return, stopped.

Whoosh!

He turned his head and glared at the bushes.

At the same time, Yoo Sucheon froze.

He could feel Paeng Jin-woo slowly raising his internal energy.

‘Please don’t notice me! Please!’

Cold sweat streamed down.

He couldn’t even raise his own energy to regulate his body temperature.

If he did, he’d be discovered instantly.

Three martial artists stood beside Paeng Jin-woo as escorts.

Individually, they were far weaker than Yoo Sucheon, but if they attacked together, victory wasn’t guaranteed.

And now those three were approaching the bushes.

Without even wiping his sweat, Yoo Sucheon glanced sideways at them.

They were right in front of him now.

Just a few steps away.

At that very moment, another drop of sweat fell.

His eyes widened.

Tap! Tap tap!

Crack!

Yoo Sucheon burst out of the bushes.

At the same time, a loud shout rang out behind him.

“It’s him! He was eavesdropping here!”

Dozens of men from the Yongmun family rushed out with torches.

They spread out in four directions.

The three escorts followed, and Paeng Jin-woo trailed right behind them.

A cold smile formed on Paeng Jin-woo’s lips.

“Stop right there!”

“As if I would!”

This is why fighting a family—

Anyway, Yoo Sucheon circulated his internal energy and ran.

He crossed alleys, leapt over walls, and dashed through the air as he fled desperately.

“Huff! Huff!”

Panting heavily, Yoo Sucheon suddenly stopped breathing.

A familiar alley came into view.

Entering it, he halted.

Just as one of the pursuing escorts rushed in without thinking—

Crunch.

Yoo Sucheon’s sword pierced his chest.

“Ghk!”

Leaving the man writhing on the ground, Yoo Sucheon ran again.

Another shout followed behind him.

“As expected of a cowardly unorthodox bastard, launching a sneak attack! Gather the others immediately!”

Even as he leapt over walls, the shouting of the martial artists followed.

How many more would that voice draw in?

Clenching his lips tightly, Yoo Sucheon flicked the blood off his sword and muttered,

“The bastard who just shouted—I’ll tear your mouth apart. I hold grudges. Remember that.”