The Appearance Of The Small-Hand Art (1)

Hebei Province, Jinju Eon Clan.

The atmosphere there had now become extremely gloomy because the clan’s heir had died, and they had failed to avenge him.

The Eon Clan’s heir was now gone. To continue the line, they would have to find a new successor, or the current Master would have to beget another child.

But right now, there was something more urgent than that. Revenge. No matter if the opponent was the Eastern Depot, the pride of the Eon Clan would not allow them to back down like this.

“We will lift the prohibition.”

Kukung

A heavy sentence came from Eon Cheong-gun, the Master of the Eon Clan. The faces of the elders seated there clearly showed shock.

“In any case, there is no longer any forbidden art. Our enemy has learned one of them, and the entire martial world acknowledges it, so it would be foolish for us not to learn ours simply because it is a forbidden art.”

“But if we do that, our clan will truly become a public enemy of the martial world.”

One of the elders tried to stop him. The clan might possibly come to an end in the current Master’s generation.

“As long as the Martial Alliance has not recognized Secret Shadow as a public enemy of the martial world, they have no justification to brand our clan as one.”

“But is that not because Secret Shadow belongs to the Eastern Depot?”

“If they stop us, we will have no choice but to fight the Martial Alliance as well.”

“What?”

“Kunlun has raised the banner of rebellion against the entire martial world. Is there any law saying we cannot do the same?”

“Umm!”

Groans were heard from here and there. Only now did the elders of the Eon Clan clearly realize that Eon Cheong-gun had gone completely mad. Their Master had now completely lost his mind to revenge.

Even so, a strange excitement was rising in one corner of their hearts.

Because it was a forbidden art, they had not been able to learn the Small-Hand Art, the clan’s supreme martial art. With no other choice, they had only been satisfied with learning its introductory stage under the name Jade-Hand Art. Even that came with the condition that only the Master could learn it.

But now, at last, the true Small-Hand Art would be able to show itself to the world. Even if they themselves could not learn it, there was a possibility that they would see its terrifying power before they died.

“We will grant the direct descendants the opportunity to learn the Small-Hand Art. We will transmit the Jade-Hand Art to the descendants of branch families. Let us see whether the Martial Alliance can still brand our clan as a public enemy of the martial world when every person in the clan is armed with the Small-Hand Art.”

Eon Cheong-gun’s final declaration followed.

“Ah!”

“Oh!”

It was extraordinary. Originally, was it not common for such a supreme martial art to be learned only by the Master and his successor? Yet he said he would teach the Small-Hand Art to all direct descendants. That meant that they, who were gathered here now, could also learn the Small-Hand Art, which was said to have the greatest destructive power.

No one objected to Eon Cheong-gun’s words anymore. An unprecedented situation was about to occur, in which a forbidden art said to be the strongest in the history of the martial world would be learned en masse.

Cheongcheong was a maidservant. As she was carrying some tasty snacks from the kitchen of the Jinju Eon Clan toward the Madam she served, she saw someone approaching from the opposite side and hurriedly bowed her head deeply in greeting.

“Oh, it is Cheongcheong.”

The person who approached Cheongcheong was Eon Jeong-hyeok, one of the direct descendants of the Eon Clan. Eon Jeong-hyeok was the son of the Madam whom Cheongcheong served. He was a person who was always kind even to maidservants, just as he was now, and treated those beneath him warmly. Because of that, Cheongcheong secretly admired him.

Cheongcheong knew that most of the maidservants working in the inner hall of the Eon Clan had feelings similar to hers. They merely did not dare show it openly because of the difference in status.

But that person she admired was acknowledging her. Cheongcheong immediately felt as if she might fly into the sky.

“Yes.”

As he looked down at Cheongcheong, who answered modestly, a strange light appeared in Eon Jeong-hyeok’s eyes.

“This is perfect timing. I have an errand for you, so after you finish your work, come to my quarters. But you must come alone, without anyone knowing.”

“Ah, understood.”

At the words telling her to come secretly by herself, Cheongcheong’s heart beat violently. Whatever she was imagining, both her cheeks turned red, strength left her legs, and she trembled. It seemed she was imagining something strange.

Eon Jeong-hyeok’s brows lightly furrowed.

“Hurry along.”

“Yes.”

Cheongcheong quickened her steps and disappeared.

“Kuk!”

After she was out of sight, Eon Jeong-hyeok gave a fishy smile.

“Another one secured. Kukkukkuk! The position of the next Master is mine. It will definitely end up that way. Kukkukkukkuk!”

Eon Jeong-hyeok’s expression was very different from the smile he usually showed others.

Late at night, Cheongcheong carefully opened the door to her room and came outside. The life of a maidservant was a continuous string of hard tasks. The other maidservants who shared the room with her had already fallen asleep to rest their tired bodies. Cheongcheong, too, had endured by bathing in cold water so she would not fall to the temptation of sleep.

As if the heavens were helping her, the sky was full of clouds, so not even moonlight could be seen. It was not raining, but judging from the cloudy sky, it would not be strange at all if a downpour suddenly poured down.

“I was going to do the laundry tomorrow, but it seems I won’t have to.”

She was scheduled to do laundry after daybreak. But if it rained, she had to do something else. When work planned like this could not be done, they usually moved up what had been scheduled for the next day.

“If I cannot do laundry tomorrow, what was I supposed to do?”

Cheongcheong worried over something trivial because of the cloudy weather as she approached Eon Jeong-hyeok’s quarters.

Perhaps because Eon Jeong-hyeok was waiting for her, his quarters were brightly lit.

“Young Master.”

Cheongcheong called softly from outside the door.

Srrrk

As if he had been waiting, the door silently opened. Eon Jeong-hyeok was standing tall right in front of the opened doorway.

“Come in.”

Eon Jeong-hyeok checked the movements outside. There was no sign that anyone had followed Cheongcheong. It was clear she had come secretly and alone, as he had ordered.

“Kukkukkuk!”

Eon Jeong-hyeok laughed quietly and closed the door. Contrary to the sound of his laughter, his expression was gentle.

“Follow me.”

Eon Jeong-hyeok went to one wall of his quarters and pressed a spot with his finger.

Srrrk

Again, without a sound, the wall slowly split open, revealing stairs leading downward.

Eon Jeong-hyeok went down through the stairs, and Cheongcheong hesitated, but still descended one step at a time.

Srrrk

After Cheongcheong’s form had completely disappeared inside, the wall returned to its original state.

After descending below, Cheongcheong realized that this place was the training room she had only heard about. She had heard that direct members of the Eon Clan had such secret training rooms in their residences.

But somehow, for a training room, the atmosphere was strange. There was a large basin and even a fishy smell. It smelled as if something was rotting.

“Um, Young Master……!”

Cheongcheong wanted to go back outside.

“There is something you must help me with.”

Eon Jeong-hyeok spoke quietly as he approached Cheongcheong.

“Wh, what……?”

“This time, I am cultivating the clan’s supreme art, and during training, I found that something was lacking. You must obtain it for me.”

“Ah, yes…… Whew!”

Cheongcheong let out a brief sigh of relief and looked at Eon Jeong-hyeok as she asked.

“If it is something I can obtain…….”

“Of course you can obtain it. But before that, there is something I want to ask first……. You are certainly a virgin, correct?”

“What?”

Cheongcheong felt that what was finally supposed to come had come. Was there not only one reason to ask whether she was a virgin or not?

“I am a virgin.”

Cheongcheong answered with difficulty. She did not like this smelly, desolate atmosphere, but in any case, she decided to be satisfied with the fact that she could finally become one with the Young Master she admired.

“Kukkukkuk! Is that so? Then I really did choose properly.”

Suddenly, Eon Jeong-hyeok’s tone turned sinister. Startled by the alien voice she was hearing for the first time, Cheongcheong raised her head and looked at Eon Jeong-hyeok. And she could see it. Eon Jeong-hyeok’s face, taking on the shape of a demon she could never have imagined. And a pair of hands that had turned white approached her neck.

That was the last sight she saw while still sane.

“Ahh…….”

Cheongcheong lost consciousness without even being able to scream.

After Cheongcheong’s body collapsed limply to the floor, Eon Jeong-hyeok brought over the basin and placed it beneath Cheongcheong’s chest. Then he took out a dagger and plunged it deep into Cheongcheong’s heart.

Twitch

Cheongcheong’s body, which had not yet completely stopped breathing, trembled very faintly, then soon stopped moving. Blood flowed down from the wound in her chest where the dagger had dug in.

“Kukkukkuk! The others will not know that a virgin’s heart blood is needed to rapidly refine the Small-Hand Art. If I can obtain the blood of just five more people from now on, I will be the fastest to learn the Small-Hand Art to the fifth level. After that, if I dispose of Secret Shadow with my own hands, the position of the next Master will be mine. Kukkukkukkukkukkuk!”

Eon Jeong-hyeok laughed heartily as he watched the blood gushing from Cheongcheong’s heart. It was a moment when it felt as if everything in the world would go according to his will. In any case, after that day, Cheongcheong’s figure never appeared anywhere in the Eon Clan again.