FACING THE DARKNESS AT LAST
Only after finishing his training did Cheon Muyang finally look at the Third Elder's letter.
『Cheonhak Pavilion.』
That was all it said.
Cheonhak Pavilion was an octagonal pavilion located within the Council of Elders.
In other words, it meant he was being summoned.
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'll go. I'm curious how he'll come out."
"Shall I accompany you?"
"There's no need for a tiger to move just to deal with a fox cub. I'm more than enough on my own."
Cheon Seonhak let out a soft chuckle.
Somehow, that ruffian-like phrasing now felt amusing.
"Then go and return."
"Yes. I'll go."
Cheon Muyang looked up at the sky.
The clouds were so thick they obscured the moon.
'It's going to be dark—oppressively so.'
Where lamplight did not reach, darkness as black as pitch lay in wait.
The path to the Council of Elders was simple.
"The Council of Elders, huh…."
Though it belonged to the Cheon Clan, the Council of Elders occupied an independent position.
Originally, it was meant to be a place where those of the same generation retired to after the former clan head passed on his position.
There, they would become elders and serve mainly as advisors in the Cheon Clan's decision-making.
"But at some point, the authority of the Council of Elders grew immense."
Even Cheon Muyang did not know the full truth behind it.
It was far too long ago, and aside from those directly involved, few knew the real details.
"Still, from what I've heard… there were already signs of discord when the current clan head took office."
There were only rumors.
Those rumors concerned Cheon Wigang's legitimacy.
Cheon Wigang was an excellent clan head acknowledged by all, yet doubts had long followed him regarding his legitimacy.
"The clan head…."
Perhaps the clan had already begun splitting in two back then.
Cheon Muyang shrugged.
"It's something that can be properly set right now."
The past was nothing more than the past.
Cheonhak Pavilion came into view.
There, the Third Elder sat alone, tilting a cup of wine.
Noticing Cheon Muyang, he rose from his seat and greeted him warmly.
"Ah, Eldest Young Master. You've come."
"Yes, Third Elder. I greet you."
Though bound by blood, not everyone in the Cheon Clan bore the Cheon surname.
Among them were a select few who had entered as trainees, caught the clan head's eye, and risen into the leadership.
Thus, the Third Elder—who did not bear the Cheon surname—stood as living proof that appointments in the Cheon Clan were based purely on ability.
"I do hope an old man from the back halls hasn't summoned a busy young master unnecessarily."
For that reason, the Council of Elders, including the Third Elder, enjoyed a good reputation.
After all, even including collateral branches, the Cheon bloodline was small, and as the clan grew larger, those without the Cheon surname would naturally become the majority.
Wasn't it a positive thing that a path upward existed for them?
"It's fine. Rather, I should have come to pay my respects more often. I apologize for that."
The Third Elder replied with an easygoing laugh.
"Now then, have a seat."
"Yes."
Cheon Muyang sat down.
The Third Elder then offered him a cup.
"Care for a drink?"
"Ah, I've quit drinking."
"Oh? I had already heard rumors that the Eldest Young Master had changed. It seems they were true."
"I'll take tea instead of alcohol."
"As you wish."
Trickle.
The fragrance of tea rose with the steam.
"It's a fine-smelling tea."
"The taste should be just as good."
The Third Elder downed his wine in one go.
Clack.
He set the cup down.
In response, Cheon Muyang also set his cup down.
Without drinking the tea.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the Third Elder's eyes.
"You say the aroma is good, yet you don't drink. Why is that?"
"I need to sort something out first."
"Sort something out, you say?"
"Whether this tea is something I can trust enough to drink."
"...."
The genial smile on the Third Elder's face faded.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well. I don't think you're unaware."
Gooooooong!
A subdued aura rose.
The tension in the air was taut enough that striking out at any moment would not have been strange.
Slide.
The Third Elder extended his empty cup.
Then, as he poured wine into it, he spoke.
"Eldest Young Master."
"Speak."
"Continue living as a ruffian."
"...."
"If you do, there will be no problems at all."
The Third Elder's demeanor changed abruptly.
He possessed martial bearing befitting an elder of the Cheon Clan.
Yet Cheon Muyang did not tremble.
There was no trace left of the weakling who once quaked before the strong.
"What you're saying is—"
"...."
"That you, Third Elder, possess the power to change the clan head?"
The corner of the Third Elder's lips curled upward.
"And if that were so, what would you do?"
"...."
"Eldest Young Master, do you not wish to become the clan head? There would be no reason to refuse a toast of punishment."
Cheon Muyang's eyes sank.
Yet his hand moved toward the cup of wine the Third Elder held out.
"That is the wise choice."
The Third Elder believed Cheon Muyang had submitted.
"...."
But Cheon Muyang brought the cup not to his lips, but to the side, extending his arm and pouring the wine onto the ground.
Killing intent flared in the Third Elder's eyes.
Cheon Muyang did not avert his gaze, speaking boldly.
"No one."
"...."
"Can change the clan head of the Cheon Clan."
"Eldest Young Master."
"And if anyone attempts such a thing—"
"...."
"I will cut them down."
"With what? Do you even possess such power? There is nothing more hollow than conviction without strength. It seems you must come to terms with reality."
The Third Elder sneered.
The Eldest Young Master possessed nothing.
No martial prowess, no connections, not even the backing of a maternal family.
What could he possibly rely on?
"My sword."
"...!"
Flinch.
The Third Elder jolted in shock.
He had not sensed when Cheon Muyang had drawn his sword.
'When…?'
A fleeting doubt.
One whose answer he would never know.
"Fortunately for me, I happen to have a sword."
"Recklessness has its proper time and place."
"Whether this is recklessness or not, you may judge for yourself."
Cheon Muyang rose and left the seat.
The Third Elder, who had remained seated in the same posture, spoke as if issuing a warning.
"It seems negotiations have regrettably broken down. Eldest Young Master, the night roads are dark. Do take care on your way."
"...."
Cheon Muyang did not even respond.
Leaving Cheonhak Pavilion behind, he headed for the training grounds.
Step!
Midway along the path.
Cheon Muyang stopped.
It was the same road as before, yet something felt off.
'So it's time.'
Hadn't the Third Elder kindly even warned him?
Cheon Muyang raised his sword.
Sssshk.
Something moved within the darkness.
Yet it appeared only as a vague distortion to the naked eye.
No presence could be felt at all.
'Assassins?'
Only now did Cheon Muyang realize how powerful the Council of Elders truly was.
To think they could even operate assassins of their own.
'What a complete mess.'
There was a reason Cheon Muyang had been labeled a ruffian.
'The damn Cheon Clan itself was the real ruffian.'
The true ruffian was the Cheon Clan.
Creak.
Cheon Muyang, long branded a ruffian, clenched his sword as if venting all the resentment he had endured.
Sssshk.
They did not rush in.
"How dull… Were you only planning to threaten me?"
They likely had not been ordered to kill.
Instilling fear must have been the goal.
The Third Elder still seemed to be under a delusion.
'Did he think I'd tremble in fear?'
Even after showing once that the old Cheon Muyang was gone, the Third Elder clearly could not believe it.
'I can't force you to believe….'
But it seemed necessary to make things clear.
"Let me show you what happens when you lay a hand on me."
In an instant, a throwing blade flew in.
Yet the hidden blade, concealed by darkness, hid even its shadow among the clouds.
Hwoong!
Moonlight burst forth.
The pitch-black darkness, where even the moon had been veiled by clouds, vanished for a brief moment.
"...!"
Figures in black masks.
Their startled expressions were visible.
"Tsk. If you're assassins, shouldn't you maintain composure even in situations like this?"
Cheon Muyang clicked his tongue and slashed his sword downward.
The throwing blade flying toward him shattered into two pieces.
He cut the very sky beneath their feet.
Sssshk.
As he watched them scatter, trying to flee before the collapsing sky consumed them, Cheon Muyang smiled.
"Is this a hunt? Feels like the roles have changed."
Wasn't a hunt supposed to be many driving one into a corner?
Yet the situation was the complete opposite.
Trying to escape the crumbling sky, they were utterly defenseless.
"In any situation, letting your guard down is fatal."
Slash.
Heavenly Light cut through the moon in the sky.
Thud.
Roll.
The head of a black-masked man who failed to evade in time fell to the ground.
The body collapsed.
Drip.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped down along the blade of Heavenly Light.
The presence of Cheon Muyang, standing alone, was completely different from the information that had been passed on to them.
『About the level of a trainee.』
That assessment was utterly wrong.
Granted, the benchmark for that "trainee" had been lee seokgi, known as the top trainee—but they did not know.
They did not know that lee seokgi had already been overtaken.
"Who's next?"
Step. Step.
Cheon Muyang walking through the chilling darkness looked nothing short of a grim reaper.
"Trying to kill the Eldest Young Master of the Cheon Clan, huh…."
By coincidence, perhaps, the moon that had been hidden behind clouds emerged.
Moonlight illuminated Cheon Muyang.
Ssiik.
There was not a trace of hesitation in the smile on Cheon Muyang's face under the moonlight.
"Then death is a fair price to pay."
"...!"
"Go back and tell the Third Elder."
"...."
"I'll be coming to collect this debt soon enough."
Cheon Muyang lowered his sword.
To those frozen in indecision, he pronounced an order of expulsion.
"If you've failed, then get lost."
Sssrrr.
The moon was once again swallowed by clouds.
Black shadows flickered—then vanished.
"So this is how you plan to play it?"
Cheon Muyang saw that even the traces of the corpse he had cut down were completely gone.
They had withdrawn without leaving a single piece of evidence behind.
"Tch."
Brushing the blood from Heavenly Light, Cheon Muyang sheathed his sword.
Then he left the place.
He felt no sense of unease at all.
After Cheon Muyang disappeared, someone quietly revealed himself.
"So he's been hiding his strength all this time."
He stared at the place Cheon Muyang had vanished from—then disappeared as well.
The moon remained hidden behind clouds.
Cheon Muyang spoke with Cheon Seonhak.
"Hmm. So that's what happened."
"Conciliation first, then intimidation. Well, isn't it obvious?"
"So what will you do now?"
"I'll have to move first. What about what I asked you to look into?"
"The Head of the Inspection Unit?"
"Yes."
"To be honest, I felt like storming over and cutting off his head right then and there."
Tap.
Cheon Seonhak took out several documents.
Receiving them, Cheon Muyang couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
"Hah…."
The densely written lines detailed all the corruption the Head of the Inspection Unit had committed.
The amount of bribes he had taken under the pretense of inspections was enough to make one gape in disbelief.
"He really stuffed himself full. With this much blind money leaking out… it's a miracle the clan hasn't collapsed."
But Cheon Muyang noticed something odd.
Most of the embezzled funds had been funneled toward a single place.
"So-eungbang…."
"You noticed."
"Uncle, do you know where So-eungbang is located?"
"It's in Shaoxing , south of Hangzhou."
"Yes. And… it's also where the Cheon Clan's warehouses are."
The letter he had received from Geumsan.
If the contents of that letter were accurate, the Cheon Clan's warehouses should have been filled with goods processed through Cheongeum Pavilion.
"Then I'll have to go to Shaoxing."
"Can you manage alone?"
Cheon Seonhak could not move.
Every one of his actions was surely being reported to the Council of Elders.
"Yes. I can."
That dawn,
Cheon Muyang headed beyond the clan grounds.