Chapter 141

Sunwoo Jung asked Sunwoo Jin again.

“If we break the Hah family’s ambush, then what comes next? What should we do after that?”

Sunwoo Jin replied calmly.

“Now that the Hah family has revealed their true colors, the justification is on our side. We must strike back immediately. Since it’s still early dawn, if we break their ambush and charge at them, we can still maintain the element of surprise.”

Hearing this, Sunwoo Jung nodded in admiration.

“So you planned all the way to this point and insisted we move at dawn. Then, should we return straight to the clan and lead the warriors to attack the Hah family?”

“Yes. But once you return to the clan, there’s one thing you must handle as quickly as possible.”

“One thing?”

Sunwoo Jung’s curiosity sharpened, and Sunwoo Jin’s eyes gleamed as he answered.

“Yes. We need to clean house first. Before striking outward, you must always secure the inside.”

---

By the time Sunwoo Jung, head of the Sunwoo clan, had rushed back with about a hundred troops from Danga Fortress, the training grounds were already crowded with people.

Among them, several were bound tightly and forced to kneel.

They shouted in confusion, not understanding why they were being treated this way, but the moment they saw Sunwoo Jung, they erupted as if waiting for him.

“Master! Please save me! These people dared to do this to me!”

“Clan head! This is a grave mistake! I have never been anything but loyal to the Sunwoo clan! This is utterly unfair!”

“Father! Punish those who dared to treat me like this! I will never forgive them!”

These were Madam Ha, Sunwoo Jung’s second wife, her second son Sunwoo Hyuk, and their allies—the Third Elder Gak Jung-kwang and the Grandmaster of the Shin-eung First Division, Son Won-jong.

All of them had been suddenly arrested early that morning by the chief elder Heo Jin-guk and the Shin-eung Fourth Division, forced to kneel at the training grounds.

Naturally, the captives and the onlookers alike were shocked and demanded to know why.

But Heo Jin-guk and the Shin-eung Fourth Division’s leader, Dam Mu-ho, only said it was by the clan head’s orders, offering no explanation.

In truth, they themselves were only following Sunwoo Jin’s instructions and were just as unaware of the full situation.

Still, they did not hesitate to carry out the sudden orders.

After witnessing Sunwoo Jin’s extraordinary display of power at the training grounds last time, they were all completely convinced of his authority.

“Master!”

“Father!”

“Clan head!”

Sunwoo Jung looked coldly at the shouting crowd.

Without a word, he threw two people he had brought as prisoners down in front of them.

Thud!

Thud!

Everyone, including those bound, stared in confusion.

“Who are those people?!”

“What… what is this?!”

The two were in a terrible state—their arms severed, bodies battered and broken.

After a moment, someone who had been silent finally recognized them.

It was Madam Ha.

Her face turned pale as she saw them.

Seeing her expression, Sunwoo Jung finally spoke.

“These are the leaders of the White Tiger Unit, the Hah family’s elite warriors.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Most wondered why they had been treated so brutally and whether it was right to do so.

Sunwoo Jung listened silently without responding.

Then, the bound Third Elder Gak Jung-kwang’s eyes flashed as he raised his voice.

“Clan head! Please hear my counsel! Treating the Hah family’s warriors—who are connected to you by marriage—this way is unjust! Even if you choose to fight them, our strength alone cannot handle the Hah family yet! Please reconsider before it’s too late and apologize sincerely! If you do, they will surely…”

As he spoke, others nodded in agreement.

But Sunwoo Jung suddenly cut him off, his words shocking everyone into silence.

“They tried to kill me, and you think I should apologize?”

“What?”

“They ambushed us on the way to Danga Fortress, disguised as Danga’s warriors, and tried to kill me and Seong Yi. And you think I should apologize to them?”

The faces of those bound turned pale.

They hadn’t even known the Hah family had tried to assassinate Sunwoo Jung.

Gak Jung-kwang stammered, trying to protest.

“Th-that can’t be… I mean, there must be some misunderstanding…”

At that moment, Sunwoo Jung’s aura surged like a master at the peak of his power, and he shouted in fury.

“You say it can’t be true that the clan head was nearly assassinated? That’s the words of a traitor! We left at dawn according to our plan, yet they perfectly knew our destination and departure time and lay in ambush! What do you call that—another misunderstanding?!”

Gak Jung-kwang’s face drained of all color.

He finally understood why they were bound.

The clan head saw them as traitors who had conspired to assassinate him.

He shouted desperately.

“Clan head! You’re mistaken! I would never—!”

“Shut up!”

With a furious cry, Sunwoo Jung’s blade flashed.

Whoosh!

Everyone watching gasped, covering their mouths.

Until now, Sunwoo Jung had been seen as a kind but indecisive and weak leader, always swayed by his in-laws.

But now, in an instant, he had beheaded Elder Gak Jung-kwang.

The Sunwoo clan members couldn’t believe their eyes.

And he wasn’t done.

His fierce gaze turned to Son Won-jong, the Grandmaster of the Shin-eung First Division.

Pale as a ghost, Son Won-jong tried to speak.

“Clan head! This is a misunderstanding…”

Whoosh!

His neck was sliced cleanly, blood spraying like a fountain.

The onlookers squeezed their eyes shut, unable to watch.

The sudden execution of two of the clan’s most powerful figures was too shocking.

Then, Sunwoo Jung muttered coldly.

Though his voice was low, everyone heard it clearly.

“Traitors always claim it’s a misunderstanding.”

Now, Sunwoo Jung turned his blade toward Madam Ha and her son Sunwoo Hyuk.

Everyone held their breath, frozen in place.

Madam Ha trembled violently.

“M-Master, this is a misunderstanding. I would never—”

But she couldn’t finish as Sunwoo Jung’s cold smile stopped her.

“Another misunderstanding? I’m hearing that word a lot today.”

“M-Master!”

Suddenly, Sunwoo Jung raised his sword high.

Terrified, Madam Ha and Sunwoo Hyuk shut their eyes and screamed.

“Ahhh!”

“Ughhh!”

The onlookers did the same, bracing for the worst.

But no further sounds came.

After a tense moment, they slowly opened their eyes and looked over.

Sunwoo Jung, who had seemed ready to strike, hesitated and lowered his sword.

He then gave an order to Dam Mu-ho, the Shin-eung Fourth Division leader standing by.

“Because they share the Sunwoo bloodline—and because they gave birth to my bloodline—I will not kill them. Dam Daeju, lock them in the dungeon immediately. Until further orders, do not give them food, water, or anything else.”

“Yes, clan head!”

Madam Ha and Sunwoo Hyuk were dragged away by the Shin-eung soldiers, unable to say another word.

Sunwoo Jung then shouted to the gathered clan members, his voice resonating with the power of a supreme master.

“Is there anyone here who has conspired with outside forces? Speak now!”

His sharp gaze swept over Elder Lee, who was connected to the Gaeyang Gate through Sunwoo Jung’s eldest son Sunwoo Seong’s maternal family, the Shin-eung First Division leader, Elder Sa, who was tied to the Un clan through Sunwoo Yeon-ha’s maternal family, and the Shin-eung Third Division leader.

Elder Sa, trembling, was the first to collapse to his knees.

“I swear my loyalty is only to the Sunwoo clan! I have never harbored any other intentions, clan head!”

One by one, others followed, kneeling.

Thud! Thud!

“I am the same, clan head!”

“Me too, clan head!”

“Please believe in my loyalty, clan head!”

Sunwoo Jung watched silently for a moment.

Then, in a low voice, he said,

“I will be watching closely from now on.”

Those kneeling quietly exhaled in relief.

Then Sunwoo Jung shouted again.

“Sunwoo warriors, prepare for battle immediately! I will never forgive the Hah family for daring to assassinate the clan head and seize control!”

The order came suddenly, like a thunderclap.

A look of shock flickered across the faces of everyone gathered.

“Th-The Hassi family…?”

“Us?”

The Hassi family was an overwhelmingly powerful force—boasting five peak-level masters—making them arguably the strongest clan in Guiyang, or perhaps even in all of Guizhou.

So for the Sunwoo family to confront the Hassi family head-on was sheer recklessness.

At least, that’s what everyone thought.

Yet, in this charged atmosphere, no one dared oppose the family head’s words.

They all simply bowed their heads and responded in unison with firm voices.

“Yes, Family Head!”

From a corner, Jegal Seoyul watched the entire scene with a look of keen interest.

Her face, usually clouded by recent worries, now sparkled with renewed vitality.

Something monumental was unfolding right before her eyes.

Especially surprising was seeing Sunwoo Jung, the usually quiet and indecisive family head, display such commanding presence—his powerful aura captivating everyone in the room. It was undeniably impressive.

She murmured wistfully to herself.

“Ah, where can I find a man like that? If only there were someone so dynamic and charismatic among my peers. But now that they’re going head-to-head with the Hassi family… Uncle, what should we do?”

Beside her, Jegal Jiyong muttered under his breath, his tone low and contemplative.

“Could it be… that Sunwoo family head intends to use us to clean house from within?”

“Huh?”

Jegal Seoyul looked at her uncle with puzzled eyes, but he shook his head and replied.

“No, let’s wait and see. Surely he wouldn’t make a formal proposal to us only to backtrack later.”

“…What?”

Still confused, Jegal Seoyul watched as Jiyong sighed, a hint of frustration on his face.

“Hmm, I’ll explain later. For now, let’s observe how the situation unfolds. If the Sunwoo family falters, we might lend them our strength and call it even. That wouldn’t be a bad outcome for us.”

Though she didn’t fully grasp his meaning, Jegal Seoyul simply nodded.

Despite being from her own clan, the words of the Jegal family were often too complex to follow.

Jiyong muttered again, his expression grave.

“Charging straight into the Hassi family… Could they be factoring us into this plan? If so, they stand to gain very little.”

In Jiyong’s mind, it was almost certain that Sunwoo Jung’s previous proposal to the Jegal family was a ploy to provoke the Hassi family and purge the influence of the second madam.

The real question was what came next.

Was that proposal merely a means to an end, or a genuine offer of allegiance to the Jegal family?

He suspected it was the former.

If he were Sunwoo Jung, he wouldn’t bother bringing the Jegal family under his wing after wiping out the Hassi family’s influence.

“But charging into the Hassi family like that…?”

It didn’t add up.

Attacking the Hassi family with only the Sunwoo family’s forces was reckless.

So it must be that they were counting on the Jegal family’s support.

But if that were true, it seemed unlikely Sunwoo Jung would gain much.

The more indebted he became to the Jegal family, the less reason he’d have to break any promises.

Jiyong’s thoughts grew increasingly tangled.

As he pondered, three shadows watched the scene unfold from the rooftop.

They were Sunwoo Jin, Jeok Mahyeok, and Gyeon Jung.

Sunwoo Jin smiled softly and murmured,

“My father, once he draws his sword, there’s nothing he can’t do. Truly impressive.”

Before this all began, Sunwoo Jin had made one demand to his father, Sunwoo Jung.

That the three elders—Gak Junggwang, Shin Eungidaeju, and Son Wonjong—had to be dealt with.

He couldn’t say it outright, but in his past life, Son Wonjong had betrayed the Sunwoo family and defected to the Hassi family.

As for Gak Junggwang, though he hadn’t switched sides, he was a constant source of strife—always looking out for himself and stirring up trouble within the Sunwoo family.

Sunwoo Jin had been furious over this in his previous life.

So, in his judgment, swiftly removing these men was the best course for the Sunwoo family.

And now, they had been neatly dealt with so early on.

Sunwoo Jin smiled with satisfaction.

“Hmm, this is good.”

He felt a refreshing sense of relief.

Especially watching Madam Ha—the once absolute ruler of the Sunwoo family, who had run rampant—being dragged away in disgrace.

He muttered quietly as he looked at her,

“This is a sight I wish I could show my mother in heaven.”

Of course, among the two who had directly caused his mother’s death, Madam Gok—the mother of Sunwoo Seong—still remained.

But she wouldn’t last much longer.

Sunwoo Jin rose smoothly and addressed Jeok Mahyeok and Gyeon Jung.

“Alright, let’s head to the Hassi family now. Sorry to keep you moving so quickly.”

Jeok Mahyeok chuckled in response.

“No, sir. I’ve been resting too much lately and feeling stiff. This is much more exciting.”

Gyeon Jung’s eyes gleamed as he asked,

“Now we get to fight peak-level masters?”

Sunwoo Jin grinned and nodded.

“Yes, fight to your heart’s content.”

Even after eliminating Baekho Il Daeju and Lee Daeju—both peak masters—the Hassi family still had three peak-level masters remaining.

So, with only two peak masters, the Sunwoo family was at a disadvantage.

Sunwoo Jin smiled to himself.

“But will those three peak masters even be there when we face the Sunwoo family?”

He had no intention of leaving them be.