Episode 274

Youyu County, located in the northwest of Sakju, was divided into 4 town-level villages and 6 rural villages.

Among them, the additional region had a school in the rural village side called Niuxin Fort, but it was a historic manor with a history of over a hundred years.

The current village chief was a person called Chu Hyung-do, who held both the administrative power and order of the Fort, and the post of looking after the village, but because the Niuxin Fort is a small village without any particular disturbances, his role as a governor was stronger.

The villagers also seemed to prefer Chu Hyung-do that way, calling him Sir Governor, rather than Governor.

Chu Hyung-do, neatly dressed in robes, was disciplining the children in the pavilion inside the fort as usual.

“The prince asked, what is the job of a scholar, and it came back that a scholar should have high aspirations and ambitions. What does this mean then?”

In response to Chu Hyung-do’s question, the children opened their mouths as if food was being put into their mouths.

“The prince asked what a scholar is supposed to do, and the scholar said that they should have great ambitions.”

Chu Hyung-do was pleased with the answer of the kids, and one of the student asked the question.

“Teacher, what does ‘great’ mean?”

“Hehe, this guy.”

This was something he planned to start teaching in the next class, but well? Chu Hyung-do was impressed by the passion of the children to learn.

“The ‘great’ here actually refers to benevolence and righteousness.”

“What is ‘benevolence’ then?”

The questions from the curious kids continued relentlessly.

“The scholar said that killing people is not benevolent and stealing other people’s belongings is not righteous.”

“So all we have to do is not kill and not steal?”

“Haha! How can the duty of a man lie in that alone? But, since those two are the most serious sins, he said to forbid them.”

As Chu Hyung-do responded with a big smile to the words of the children, a girl standing with a servant in the distance and looking at him, came into view.

His only daughter, Chu Ga-ryong, who turns 9 that year.

It is a child he barely saw until later in life, and her mother had also died after a difficult birth. How great was the sorrow surrounding her.

Come to think of it, he had promised to go out to the street today to buy her some toys.

Looking at her pouty and swollen cheeks, it seemed like she was cross with him for spending so much time answering questions even though the class hour was over.

“Now, let’s call it a day. It’s lunchtime already.”

“Yes, Teacher!”

As he hurriedly folded up the books, the kids rushed out of the pavilion, and Chu Ga-ryong came running like she had been waiting for him to finish.

“Dad!”

“Oh, right.”

“I’ve waited so long!”

“…Huh, is that so?”

As Chu Hyung-do slowly turned his head to look, the servant sighed and shook their head.

It was clear that she ran as soon as she woke up without even washing her face. Well. How great can the patience of a child be? The grumbling was understandable, as it seemed like an entire year.

“Haha, Father’s kept you waiting a long time. Now, let’s hurry up and get ready.”

“Again? Let’s just leave.”

“Just leave? Are you not even going to eat?”

“We can buy candy and eat it.”

“……”

Chu Hyung-do looked at his daughter with an absurd look. Filling your stomach with sweets?

But, seeing the impatience in those round eyes made it difficult for him to refuse. After all, is there any need to prepare anything? Anyway, Niuxin Fort is the front yard of the village, and all the people who live there are like family.

“Serious child. I get it, let’s go.”

“I cannot leave you alone today either cause you will end up busy meeting people. Get it?”

“I know. Fine.”

Chu Hyung-do stood up like he couldn’t resist the force of the child.

“Sun-hwa.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Please organize the books.”

“Phew, I understand.”

Chu Ga-ryong’s servant sighed and laughed.

“Now then, my daughter. Would you like to come out with Dad?”

“Yes! Let’s ride the neck horse! Neck horse!”

Chu Ga-ryong was excited and pestered him constantly.

“Miss! Lord’s face…”

When the servant Sun-hwa noticed, Chu Hyung-do raised his hand to stop and knelt down in front of Chu Ga-ryong.

“Now, get on.”

“Yes!”

“Lord. What are you going to do when you get married later?”

“I’m not getting married!”

His daughter was still young. His family and friends were often concerned with him spoiling his daughter, but if he likes his daughter, wouldn’t he do anything for her?

Chu Ga-ryong, who was sitting on her father’s shoulders, stretched her fingers out under her eyes and stuck out her cute tongue at Sun-hwa.

“I will take you there.”

As Chu Hyung-do took a step forward, the three guards of the chief who were waiting in the distance, followed him.

Just as he was about to leave the manor, chatting with his daughter, an untimely scream doused cold water onto their quality time.

“Kuaak!”

“Ack!”

Screams rang out one after another.

“…?”

A look of question appeared on Chu Hyung-do’s face. What does this mean?

Their village, Niuxin Fort, is a quiet one.

They weren’t wealthy, so it has been a long time since the bandits disappeared, and it might be because of Chu Hyung-do’s choice, but the only thing that can be called a huge incident in the village is a fist fight between drunks.

But a scream?

When Chu Hyung-do, who sensed that something was amiss, forcibly removed Chu Ga-ryong and put her down, one of the guards quickly noticed and ran towards the outside of the manor.

And after a while.

Crack, crack!
The latch of the door, which, although not strong but was quite thick, broke, and Ju-dong, the guard who had gone out to investigate the situation, was thrown back in.

“Kuak, eukkk…”

“…Ju, Ju-dong?”

“…Run…please….”

Ju-dong, who was crying and bleeding, died without being able to finish his words.

The blood which flowed from his cruelly sliced open stomach, along with his entrails, soaked the ground.

“Haa….”

“……”

Without even giving him time to evaluate the situation, the person who created the incident slowly walked in through the open gate.

A woman.

One arm was hanging down while holding a knife, which was dripping with blood, and she was breathing heavily and sweating like she was exhausted.

Her nose was crushed, possibly due to an injury, and she looked very ugly, but it wasn’t a wound covering the entire face.

In broad daylight, with the sun shining brightly, in front of the officials who ruled Niuxin village and its chief.

Even after committing a murder in broad daylight, she was smiling like the devil.

“You are…?”

The guards, who shielded Chu Hyung-do in the front, who was retreating hesitantly and hiding Chu Ga-ryong behind him, drew their swords and glared at the woman fiercely.

“Phew…”

The woman, who stopped, caught her breath, and wiped the sweat off her forehead, lifted her chin ever so slightly while scanning the audience with her eyelids lowered and smiled.

“I’m glad. I wasn’t too late.”

“…?”

What did she mean that she wasn’t too late?

In the meantime, something climbed over the wall countless times and filled the courtyard.

A quick look showed that over 50 people had occupied not just the roof but the interior grounds too.

“Oh my…!”

Chu Hyung-do swiveled his head to look around.

The guards who blocked his path too hesitated and retreated with scared eyes at the unexpectedly huge number.

The good news was that they didn’t let go of the swords in their trembling hands.

“What are you trying to do?”

“……”

The woman, who caught her breath at last, laughed with a relaxed look.

“This is so fun. But don’t you think it’s too quiet?”

“…?”

Now that he thought about it, the screams from before were no longer audible. Although it was clearly broad daylight, the entire area was filled with silence as if night had fallen.

“That’s because they’ve all died. Everyone, including the people outside.”

“…!”

Chu Hyung-do was wide-eyed. Everyone was killed? The people of the village?

“…Wh-what are you people up to?”

“Wouldn’t you know that by watching?”

“……”

“Well, you are going to die anyway. Because all I need is that child.”

Child?

Chu Hyung-do looked at the woman with a shocked gaze.

Why were they targeting his daughter? He wasn’t a wealthy man nor was he an official with great strength. He was merely the head of a rural village and is nothing more than a governor who teaches young children.

But before any other reason, Chu Hyung-do could only think of having to protect his daughter.

“A-arent you afraid of the laws of land to do something like this in this world of ours? How could you do something like this in broad daylight….”

“Laws of the land? Ahem, the laws of the land will soon collapse too.”

“…It will collapse soon?”

Chu Hyung-do mumbled with wide eyes that almost popped out, but the woman didn’t feel the need to answer.

“Originally, it would have been fun to kill them one by one and watch the pain.”

They are truly merciless. They get pleasure from killing people.

As the woman gestured, some of the warriors who surrounded them approached Chu Hyung-do and his daughter.

“Uh…uhhhh!”

Was it out of fear? The warriors who were guarding Chu Hyung-do and his daughter threw their swords down and fled.

Slash-slash!

The sword was swung very briefly and blood decorated the air as if a red silk hem had unraveled.

From the start, they had no intention of even leaving these guards alive.

Flutter. Flutter.

The guards didn’t run very far before they all collapsed and lost their lives.

All that remained are the helpless Chu Hyung-do and his daughter.

However, Chu Hyung-do, who thought he had to protect his daughter, picked up the sword which the guard had dropped.

His hands were trembling with fear, but he could never get out of there.

It was all in vain.

The laws of the land were so weak that the ruthless people who treated human life like flies walked around in broad daylight and he felt in vain because he was weak and was powerless to protect his precious daughter from these ruthless people.

Chu Hyung-do gritted his teeth and grabbed the sword with both hands.

“What a tear-jerking denial.”

The woman who was quietly watching the scene smiled.

“It would have been a lot of fun to watch your despair as you cry out watching your daughter getting taken away, but it’s a shame. I don’t have the time because of some bastard, you see. So I will kill you quickly.”

As the woman wrinkled the bridge of her nose, the approaching warriors accelerated their pace.

‘Oh heavens! What crime have I committed to deserve such punishment like this?’

‘Please, please give me an answer at least.’

Chu Hyung-do cried desperately in his mind and began to slash senselessly at the approaching warriors.

At that time, the warriors were slowly approaching with amused expressions as they saw him slashing at the air with no opponent ahead.

Heaven’s answer to Chu Hyung-do’s desperate cries could be heard.

Puak! Chak!
“…!”

The movements ceased for a moment, and everyone’s head turned to one side as if they all had an agreement to turn.

“Yah, is it that bastard?”

“…?”

A man in black slowly walked into the ground, holding the head of a warrior who appeared to be the woman’s subordinate in one hand and holding a sword slung over his shoulder in another hand.

“…And you are?”

“Uh?”

The woman’s expression is one of shock, and the man in black also had the same look of bewilderment.

“How am I seeing such a familiar face, you?”

“……”

“No wonder… Something felt odd.”

The man in black, Jinmu, let out a deep sigh as he threw down the head in his hand.

“Fuck, I wish I had showed up a little sooner.”

Jinmu stood there, cursing, and slowly looked around with his eyes raised.

But no one could move.

It wasn’t the absurdity of the leisure attitude. As his colossal presence added to the atmosphere and began to weigh down on the entire venue, even breathing turned to suffocating.

“Let’s ask a few questions.”

One could feel the coldness of Jinmu’s body as he smiled.

“…Are you people from the Palace too?”

“……”

The woman’s eyes trembled as she was unable to hide her fluster at Jinmu’s question, which came at her without giving her time to prepare.

Well, if that’s the case, I understand if you’re unwilling to answer.

Sigh.

When Jinmu took out the red letter from his sleeve, the eyes of the woman blazed brightly.

“You!”

“……”

Jinmu chuckled at the reaction from the woman.

“What? Do you know me now? I have been looking at that crushed nose since earlier.”

As Jinmu laughed mischievously, the woman’s eyes began to twitch in anger.

The red letter.

It was a letter written to report her whereabouts to the owner of the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce and to inform them that she had almost secured the item she was looking for.

But last night, when she was about to change her clothes after making the minions work, she was ambushed by the damned bastard.

“If you’re from the Palace, then does the same go for the leader of the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce?”

“……”

At Jinmu’s words, the woman’s eyebrows furrowed even more.

“I guess I’m right. But why do you guys always do the same thing?”

“…?”

“Is it your hobby to harass powerless people?”

“……”

“Fine, that’s it. Okay. What use is saying all that to you?”

Jinmu mumbled to himself and waved his hand, and suddenly stopped laughing.

His eyes, which slowly looked up, flicked, and his thin lips slowly began to part and spit out one word at a time, as if making a declaration.

“Whatever it is, you have invaded my land and broke the rules which I have set.”

The deep anger on a calm face turned into a murderous and raging storm.

His eyes were slightly closed, and when he opened them it was like looking into shining obsidians, and the qi emanating from his body spread in all directions like black fog.