The Jeokyang Clan’s Affair.

A few days passed.
Just as expected, his arm wasn’t healing.

‘It’s dangerous after all.’

Gyo-ha couldn’t help but feel it again.
It wasn’t a power he could use carelessly.

“That bastard. We shouldn’t have let him go.”

Namgung Hyeok burst out in anger as he looked at Gyo-ha’s arm.
He thought it was Jeokyang Hu’s doing.
He didn’t seem to have noticed the yokai power Gyo-ha had drawn out either.
As Namgung Hyeok burned with hostility toward Jeokyang Hu, Gyo-ha, pricked by guilt, scratched his cheek and spoke.

“It’s my fault.”

He underestimated yokai power.

“No. They call it Heretical Art, and it really is an evil power.”
“……”

Kkadeudeuk.
Namgung Hyeok went that far. But Gyo-ha couldn’t tell him the truth.

‘It’s actually power that yokai use, and I can use it too!’

He couldn’t just blurt that out.
He had no choice but to dodge it.
When Gyo-ha fell silent, Namgung Hyeok also took his eyes off him and looked ahead.

“Once we cross that, it’s Changsha.”

Changsha, Hunan Province.
Now the Murim Alliance was right in front of them.
Their steps quickened.

“So you ran all the way here right now?”

As Shin Yul’s eyes blazed, Tang Ho quietly turned his head away.
He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable here.
The Sichuan Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.
And this place, even if it was a branch family, was blood of the Guizhou Shin Clan, one of the Seven Powers.

“Then the Tang Clan must’ve set out to catch us.”

Shin Yul spoke like it was ridiculous.
Tang Ho glanced at Shin Gi-yang. Unlike the fiery Shin Yul, Shin Gi-yang had a calm temperament.
But this time, as if he had no intention of stepping in, he avoided Tang Ho’s gaze.
It made sense.

“If we leave those things alone, what do you think the damage will be like?”

It wasn’t the Shin siblings.
Drereureuk!, the door opened, and a middle-aged man appeared.

“Father.”
“Father.”

Even without the Shin siblings saying it, they could tell who he was.
An extraordinary aura.
Someone like this wouldn’t be common.
The Henan Shin Clan, now the Shenlong Shin Clan. He was the Shin Clan’s Patriarch.
The middle-aged man spoke evenly.

“It didn’t seem like a matter to leave to just the children, so I took the liberty.”
“N-no, not at all.”

Seo Jong-dae and Tang Ho hurriedly lowered their heads.
Tang Ho swallowed dryly as he looked at the man. Just his entering changed the air.

‘Was he always this level?’

Before meeting the two of them, he hadn’t known the Henan Shin Clan.
Of course, he hadn’t known about the Henan Shin Clan’s Patriarch either.
He thought a branch family of the Guizhou Shin Clan wouldn’t be ordinary, but still.
It reminded him of the Tang Clan’s Patriarch.
Someone who had crossed the wall.
A peak martial artist. A nameless clan’s patriarch being comparable to a Five Great Clans patriarch.

“So what do you think the damage will be like?”
“…If those things awaken, there will be no one living in the Jinchuan, Xianjin, and Danba area. If they start breeding, Sichuan land will end up the same.”

Seo Jong-dae said it evenly.
Tang Ho added.

“If we can’t stop it now, later it’ll be out of control.”

The Shin siblings behind them furrowed their brows.
Because it was more serious than they thought.

“So you need our house’s help?”
“Yes. The manpower we can draw in is limited.”

It was nowhere near enough to exterminate them.

“I’ll lend you martial artists.”
“Father. Lending the clan’s martial artists based only on their words is…”

Shin Gi-yang started to speak, but the Patriarch continued calmly.

“Gi-yang, in my name, request aid from the Evil Heaven Alliance branch. Tell them a large-scale Orthodox attack is expected, and ask for support.”

He wasn’t only lending the clan’s martial artists.
Seo Jong-dae’s eyes widened, and he lowered his head.

“Thank you. This favor…”
The Patriarch raised a hand and cut Seo Jong-dae off.

“Unlike Guizhou’s Shin Clan, our main house has kept its distance from the Evil Heaven Alliance. But if your story is a lie, then from now on, our main house intends to involve itself actively. Of course, the first ones will be you.”

He wasn’t merely lending troops.
It meant he could turn into an enemy at any time.
It was no different from taking hostages.
The atmosphere turned icy.
But it was the natural choice.
Just as Tang Ho was about to bow his head, Seo Jong-dae opened his mouth.

“If what we say is true, what will you do?”
“Hm.”

At the unexpected question, startled gazes turned to Seo Jong-dae.
But Seo Jong-dae was unflinching.
He didn’t even avoid the Patriarch’s eyes.
Tang Ho tapped him, but Seo Jong-dae stayed firm.
He’d stirred things up on his own and come to borrow martial artists, and yet he was bold.
Soon, the Patriarch lifted the corner of his mouth.

“If it’s true, then not only our main house, but all of Sichuan will owe you a debt. In that case, I’ll treat you as friends and benefactors.”

The Patriarch gave a respectful fist-clasp salute and left the room.
Even though the two were young, he kept his courtesy.
That made it feel even more frightening.
As they watched where the Patriarch had left, Shin Yul jabbed Seo Jong-dae in the side.

“Why did you do that? Even I am scared of our father.”

It was a scolding, but worry was mixed in.

“It’s not wrong.”

Seo Jong-dae was calm.
He didn’t come here for his own benefit.
At that, Shin Yul tilted her head like, is that so, but Shin Gi-yang didn’t.

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to use our house.”
“Ah, right.”

Shin Yul’s eyes flared again.
Seo Jong-dae quietly looked away.
Seo Jong-dae clicked his tongue briefly. Seeing it, the group shook their heads.

Then, from somewhere, a whistle sounded.
The moment he heard it, Shin Gi-yang stood up.

“Yul. You lead the clan people and depart first. I’ll stop by the Evil Heaven Alliance branch and follow.”

At Shin Gi-yang’s words, Shin Yul nodded and lifted the spear she’d left against the wall.

“Let’s go.”

Shin Yul strode forward.
Then Tang Ho and Seo Jong-dae followed.
Seeing Shin Yul heading out instead of deeper into the manor, Seo Jong-dae tilted his head.

“Didn’t he tell you to go with the people?”

But the answer was easy to see.
In front of the manor, martial artists were already lined up.

‘That whistle earlier.’

It was clearly a signal to summon them.
Even so, the response was too fast.
They were even in fives and tens. It wasn’t something done once or twice.
And the equipment of those lined up was no ordinary thing.

‘Armor?’

Leather armor and spears.
It wasn’t something you saw easily.

‘…These aren’t martial artists.’

Tang Ho felt what Seo Jong-dae felt too. The two looked at each other and swallowed dryly.
They were soldiers, not martial artists.
As if she read their eyes, Shin Yul lifted the corner of her mouth.

“This is why the main house bastards can’t treat us lightly.”

The Guizhou Shin Clan is one of the Seven Powers of the Evil Heaven Alliance.
But the Henan Shin Clan was negative about the Evil Heaven Alliance’s course.
And yet, the reason Guizhou’s Shin Clan left them alone.
It was because the Henan Shin Clan had that much power.

‘…So they really could abandon Henan and come here in a short time.’

Abandoning one’s homeland wasn’t easy.
Even for people of a clan, it wasn’t something you could force lightly.
But they were different.
They were a clan and a warlord force. So their way of acting couldn’t help but be different.
Shin Yul stepped to the front.

“Uncles. It’s urgent, so I’ll explain the details as we go.”

Shin Yul’s playful smile vanished.
Then she lifted her spear and slammed it into the ground.
Koong!

“By the Patriarch’s command, from now on, I will lead the Shin Clan Unit.”

Koong!
The men struck their spears down in unison.
Shin Clan Unit. It meant exactly that, the Shin clan’s unit.
A simple name.
But it fit too well.
Shin Yul grinned, hooked the spear over her shoulder, and looked back at the two.

“More importantly, those bastards. Are they strong?”

Seo Jong-dae could see a familiar shadow in Shin Yul’s smile.

‘Is Kangho full of nothing but crazy bastards?’

Seo Jong-dae sighed and nodded.

“With this number, even holding out will be hard.”
“…That’s good news.”

Shin Yul ran off with a wide grin.
The soldiers moved with her.

“…No horses?”

They ran here. Was she planning to run back too?

“Only weaklings need a horse’s help!”

Shin Yul’s shout came from far away. Her back was already out of sight.

“Damn.”

At the sudden sound, he turned his head and saw Tang Ho looking flustered.

“What?”
“It’s not that way.”
“…!”

At Tang Ho’s words, Seo Jong-dae’s mind snapped awake too.

“Hey! Wait!”

Seo Jong-dae and Tang Ho hurried after Shin Yul.

A manor in Chongqing.
From there, one man’s scream could be heard.

“Aaaaaaaargh! I’ll kill you!”

At the sound coming from inside, the servants held even their breathing and got out of the way.
And that scream reached even the deepest part of the manor.

“How is Hu’s condition?”

A middle-aged man seated at the place of honor spoke.
Graying hair, and sharp eyes that brought snakes to mind.
He wore a red cotton robe.
At the man’s question, an old physician stepped forward.

“…He lost an eye, but fortunately, his head wasn’t damaged.”

The man only looked at the physician with an indifferent gaze.
Because what he wanted to ask was something else.

“…There will be a sense of foreignness, but not to the point it interferes with circulating Qi.”

The man’s eyebrow twitched.
To learn advanced martial arts, the flow of internal energy had to be free.
He said there would be foreignness.
He said it wouldn’t interfere, but in a fight with a master, it couldn’t have no effect.
Then, once more, Jeokyang Hu’s scream rang out.

“And the pain?”
“I prescribed painkillers, but…”

The physician trailed off.
The wound was too great. And because it was a sensitive area, he couldn’t use too many painkillers.
The man waved a hand. The physician left as if fleeing.
When the physician was gone, an elder approached.

“What will you do?”
“He moved on his own and even lost martial artists. A foolish act. If he weren’t in that state, I would’ve dealt with him myself.”

People swallowed their breaths. It was a coldness you wouldn’t expect from a father.

“But we can’t let it pass. They must pay the price for daring to touch our house.”

The man’s gaze dropped downward.
There were two young men who resembled Jeokyang Hu.
When the gaze reached him, one young man lowered his head.

“Father, leave it to me.”

The young man beside him looked flustered.
He was a step late.
Then the man looked evenly at the youth who spoke.
Thinking it was his chance, the young man hurriedly added.

“I will show them our clan’s terror.”
“I can do it too.”

This time, the other young man spoke too.
At that, the first young man’s brow creased, but he quickly smoothed his expression.
The two were Jeokyang Gwang and Jeokyang So.
Jeokyang Hu’s half-brothers.

“…It’s an opponent even your older brother couldn’t defeat.”

Their skill was far below Jeokyang Hu’s.
But Jeokyang Gwang was calm. Because he had something to rely on.

“I heard one of his arms is ruined.”

Jeokyang So nodded too.
They’d investigated since hearing news of Jeokyang Hu.

“You two go. I don’t care if you cooperate or compete. You may borrow your maternal family’s power. Prove your usefulness, and I’ll grant a fitting reward.”
“Thank you!”
“Th-thank you!”

The two hurriedly lowered their heads.
Jeokyang Hu was the strongest candidate to succeed the Jeokyang Clan.
But because of this, the two gained an opportunity too.
Then the elder at the side spoke carefully.

“…What if the Murim Alliance interferes?”

At the elder’s words, the two startled.
They hadn’t considered it.
But the Patriarch, Jeokyang Tak, was calm.

“This is Jeokyang Clan’s affair.”

That answer was enough.

“We obey.”

Those in the room bowed deeply.