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Chapter 15
He had become a servant against his fate.
According to the rules of the martial world, he had knelt before the strong.
And so, he had decided to serve Dan Hyeon-woo as his master.
That didn’t mean he had sold the soul of a free-spirited unorthodox martial artist.
He couldn’t possibly like Dan Hyeon-woo.
Rather, he was an enemy.
And yet, because he followed that enemy’s command, he was now running for his life.
‘Never in my life did I think I’d suffer like this!’
While fleeing across all of Hangzhou, he had taken down dozens of pursuers.
Anyone who couldn’t keep up with his lightness skill had already fallen behind.
Now, only one of the three guardians and Paeng Jin-woo were still chasing him.
Tatadat!
Yu Su-cheon ran into a place with a large open field.
The outermost edge of Hangzhou.
A desolate place where even beggars didn’t come.
As soon as he entered, Yu Su-cheon stopped using his movement technique.
“Haah! Haah!”
How long had he been running?
At least two shichen.
The sun was already rising.
His internal energy was exhausted from using lightness skills, and his mental strength was also at its limit.
But he could still smile.
Because his opponents were in the same condition.
“Let’s settle this here.”
“You filthy unorthodox bastard, thinking of such a cheap trick.”
“You didn’t follow me because you’re kind either. Acting righteous, my ass.”
Shing.
Yu Su-cheon drew his sword.
The guardian and Paeng Jin-woo had already drawn theirs.
As dawn broke, the surroundings gradually brightened.
All three stood still, not moving carelessly.
And the moment the sun rose over the ridge—
Tang!
As if by agreement, all three moved at the same time.
The guardian and Paeng Jin-woo closed the distance, pressuring Yu Su-cheon.
‘I knew they’d attack like this.’
While running, Yu Su-cheon had simulated this battle dozens, hundreds of times in his head.
In those simulations, he lost every single time.
Except once.
There was one scenario where he could win.
That was why he chose this open field.
Yu Su-cheon stepped back and smirked.
This field had once been used to extract shale oil.
Because of that, the ground was covered with stone fragments.
Instead of aiming at his enemies, his sword swept across the ground.
Papabak!
Dozens of stones, infused with internal energy, shot forward.
Paeng Jin-woo hesitated.
Normally, he could have dodged easily.
But there were too many stones on the ground, tangling his footwork.
‘Did he lure us here for this?’
Bam!
“Keugh!”
Stones imbued with internal energy struck the guardian’s forehead, philtrum, and entire body.
Unable to withstand the crushing pain, the guardian collapsed.
However, Paeng Jin-woo deflected the stones with his sword.
Kkang! Kkang!
The shattered stones scattered, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
Paeng Jin-woo looked toward where Yu Su-cheon had been.
But Yu Su-cheon was no longer there.
Just as he frowned and turned his head at the sharp sound cutting through the air—
Kkang!
Another stone flew toward him.
“You bastard!”
After deflecting all the stones, Paeng Jin-woo heard more coming from the left and thrust his sword in that direction.
Kkang!
The repeated attacks irritated him.
The man only kept throwing stones and never approached.
In that case, there was only one thing Paeng Jin-woo could do.
Do the same.
Kwa-gwag!
Spinning his body, Paeng Jin-woo sent stones flying in eight directions.
As a result, the ground around him was cleared of stones.
“A shallow trick. You can’t defeat me with this.”
He laughed.
Surely, his opponent must already be bleeding from those stones.
Just as he thought that—
Whoosh!
He heard another stone flying.
From the left.
As he thrust his sword—
“Keugh… why…?”
A blade pierced through his back and burst out from his chest.
His heart trembled violently.
Blood poured from his mouth.
Yu Su-cheon’s sword had struck his heart perfectly.
The blade hadn’t come from the left—
but from the right.
Rather than fearing death, Paeng Jin-woo was more curious about how the blade had come from the opposite direction.
His mind replayed the battle.
“I see… That’s why you threw stones in multiple directions… But that wasn’t the real attack. The stones swept the ground clean… You were making a path for your movement technique…”
The reason he couldn’t move, while Yu Su-cheon could approach swiftly and stab his heart—
He had cleared away the stone fragments that hindered his footing.
Thinking back, Yu Su-cheon hadn’t used his movement technique at all during the fight.
He had made him accustomed to a certain speed—
and only used it at the very end.
“You fox-like bastard… This is why unorthodox bastards are so filthy… Keugh!”
Paeng Jin-woo collapsed.
His eyes wide open in resentment.
At the same time, Yu Su-cheon also fell.
The stones Paeng Jin-woo had thrown earlier had struck his chest and legs.
“Haah… haah… Did I… barely win?”
The sky he saw lying on the ground wasn’t blue.
He was so exhausted that it looked different.
Purple.
His internal energy was depleted, making his vision dark.
“Ah, right.”
Despite feeling like he might vomit, Yu Su-cheon forced himself up.
He approached the unconscious guardian, foaming at the mouth, and shoved both index fingers into his mouth.
Rip!
He tore the guardian’s mouth apart.
Just as he had promised.
Go get it stitched later.
Thinking that, Yu Su-cheon finally collapsed flat on the ground.
He couldn’t move anymore.
To calm his turbulent internal energy, he closed his eyes and focused it into his dantian.
‘That was close. I almost had to use even my innate true qi.’
What remained of his internal energy—
just a single drop.
It had been a gamble with his life.
As he thought that, darkness fell over his vision.
Thinking clouds had covered the sky, he opened his eyes—
Dan Hyeon-woo stood there, arms crossed, looking down at him.
“Pathetic.”
“Don’t be too harsh. I did kill Paeng Jin-woo and became the strongest in Hangzhou.”
Yu Su-cheon replied with a grin.
It seemed Dan Hyeon-woo had been watching all along.
Was he worried? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.
Dan Hyeon-woo spoke.
“Pork Dongpo would be nice for breakfast.”
“That takes a long time to cook. If we start now, it’ll be late.”
“Then make a simple porridge.”
With just that, Dan Hyeon-woo disappeared.
He must have intentionally chosen something easy to make.
But he wasn’t letting him rest.
As Yu Su-cheon stood up, he muttered toward where Dan Hyeon-woo had been—
“I’ll serve Pork Dongpo for dinner.”
Dan Hyeon-woo looked over Cheon Il-seong’s face as if seeing something strange.
“What happened to your mouth?”
“I tore it. As punishment for spouting nonsense.”
Yu Su-cheon answered.
Cheon Il-seong’s mouth wasn’t bad enough to require a doctor, but it hurt whenever he opened it.
And that wasn’t all.
His entire body was bruised.
He limped, one arm was barely usable, his eyes were swollen shut, and he couldn’t hear well.
Every time Yu Su-cheon gave an order, he had to shout loudly.
Yu Su-cheon continued.
“Since I was already at it, I made him like a daughter-in-law suffering under her in-laws—three years deaf, three years mute, three years blind.”
He clenched his fist as if to ensure Cheon Il-seong would stay silent for three years.
It was fortunate he hadn’t killed him—though who knows if the man realized that.
Smack!
Yu Su-cheon hit the back of Cheon Il-seong’s head.
“Do it properly! You think ingredients grow on trees? Slice the meat and go sweep outside!”
“A… algehshnida…”
With a tearful face, Cheon Il-seong trembled as he cut the meat.
He still didn’t know how scary Jin Yeon-gyeong, the mother-in-law, was.
Leaving him behind, Dan Hyeon-woo asked Yu Su-cheon,
“What about the Yongmun family?”
“They’re quiet. There’s no one stronger than their head, so revenge is out of the question. They won’t act for a while.”
“Did Cheon Il-seong spill everything?”
“Of course. With Paeng Jin-woo dead, how could he not? They were planning to monopolize all the fabric in Hangzhou using the name of Danhwa Fabric Shop. The Yongmun family invested heavily, but when the Mokhwa Merchant Guild went to the Dan family, Paeng Jin-woo stepped in.”
“Keep Cheon Il-seong under your control.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the Yongmun family too. They won’t just sit quietly.”
Dan Hyeon-woo nodded.
Just then, Eun Do-yoon returned from school.
He looked cheerful, clearly enjoying his first day.
Spotting Dan Hyeon-woo, he ran over.
“Uncle! Thank you. I never dreamed I’d get to attend school.”
“Study hard. Once you finish the Thousand Character Classic, I’ll teach you martial arts.”
“Really? Give me three months. I’ll master it by then.”
“Haha. Word will spread that a genius has appeared in the Dan family.”
Dan Hyeon-woo ruffled his hair.
Eun Do-yoon smiled brightly.
“I’ll go study right away! Don’t forget your promise!”
“I won’t.”
Eun Do-yoon hurried inside with his book.
His passion for martial arts rivaled Dan Hyeon-woo’s in his youth.
I’ll teach you well, so please don’t run away from home.
“Brother, have some tea.”
Dan Seo-yeon had prepared tea and sat on the porch.
Seeing her smile, it seemed she had something to say.
As he sat beside her, she spoke shyly.
“I don’t know how to thank you. I always felt guilty for not educating Do-yoon… but you even sent him to school…”
“Don’t worry. He’s my precious nephew too.”
“He’s your nephew, but you should also marry and have a child to pass on the family head position.”
“I plan to pass it to Do-yoon. I’ve already told others to call him the young master.”
“To Do-yoon?”
“I neglected the family all this time. It’s only right that you and Do-yoon inherit it.”
“Brother…”
Her eyes reddened.
He had always been like this.
Giving way to her in everything—except martial arts.
And now, he was giving everything again.
She tried to hold back her tears.
But suddenly, Dan Hyeon-woo stood up.
“Brother?”
He sensed a familiar presence.
A dear childhood friend.
Someone who had lived right next door.
A bright smile spread across his face, like a boy from twenty years ago.
“Seo-yeon, I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Will you be long?”
“I’ll be right back. Prepare another cup of tea.”
He stepped outside.
There stood a man so ugly that once seen, his face would never be forgotten.
His childhood friend.
The ugliest in the neighborhood, yet with a heart as fine as silk.
They had always been together.
He had been the only one to support Dan Hyeon-woo’s dream of learning martial arts.
Approaching him, Dan Hyeon-woo spoke.
The man stared, then smiled brightly.
“Y-you… are you Hyeon-woo?”
“Yeah, it’s me. You ugly bastard. You haven’t changed at all. No, you’ve gotten even uglier.”
“Haha! Where would this face go? So, you’re back?”
“I missed home too much.”
“And me?”
“I missed you enough to see you in my dreams.”
Dan Hyeon-woo pulled him into a tight embrace.
He didn’t like handshakes.
He wanted to feel his friend’s presence.
That sturdy back—
unchanged despite the years.
Before he ran away, he had asked this friend—
to take care of Seo-yeon if she cried.
And he had trusted him.
And now, that friend was still here.
Exactly where he belonged.
That alone made him grateful.
He didn’t cry.
Instead, he laughed enough to make up for the lost years.
“Let’s go inside and have tea! I told Seo-yeon to prepare another cup.”
“Alright.”
He dragged his friend into the house.
“Seo-yeon, is the tea ready?”
“Yes, brother.”
“You remember him, right? My friend.”
“Of course.”
At the introduction, Seo-yeon blushed.
Shyly, she spoke to him.
“W-welcome back.”
“I… I’m back.”
He also blushed.
Something felt off.
Dan Hyeon-woo frowned.
“Come to think of it, I never heard Do-yoon’s surname.”
“I-it’s Eun Do-yoon.”
Eun Do-yoon.
And his ugly friend’s name—
Eun Hyeon-gyeom.
Dan Hyeon-woo’s expression froze instantly.
Thud!
His hardened fist smashed into Eun Hyeon-gyeom’s face.
“You’re Do-yoon’s father?! I told you to take care of Seo-yeon, not take responsibility for her, you damn bastard!”
