Chapter 207

“Welcome, Lord Yu! Lord Oh! I’ve already heard that you two set sail to capture that scoundrel called Baekrang Geomgae!”

By the time Yu Haeung and Oh Ikdeok arrived at the Hae-nam faction’s main hall, all the other clan heads were already seated, except for the two of them.

Eight clan heads sat around a round table, and at the very center was Jin Taedo, the Hae-nam Swordmaster, who greeted them with a hearty laugh.

His warm welcome felt like greeting old friends.

Yet, despite his hospitality, Yu Haeung and Oh Ikdeok silently nodded and took their seats, their cold demeanor making even onlookers uncomfortable.

But Jin Taedo paid no mind.

Still smiling kindly, he asked them, “So, did you have any luck? I’m quite curious to see what that beggar looks like.”

Finally, Yu Haeung met his gaze with a sharp look and spoke.

“We didn’t find Baekrang Geomgae. But we did find some pirates from the naval squad who were using the excuse of searching for him to raid villages.”

Jin Taedo faltered for a moment.

But it was only a brief hesitation.

His face quickly darkened with anger as he shouted, “There are still such scoundrels?! I warned them so many times! What did you do with them? Hand them over to me! I’ll grind them to dust and make an example out of those naval squad members!”

His friendly face and deep voice would have seemed genuinely furious to any outsider.

Yet, the clan heads who hadn’t yet sworn loyalty to Jin Taedo exchanged incredulous smirks.

They all knew well that Jin Taedo had effectively been turning a blind eye to the naval squad’s misdeeds.

Yu Haeung, still cold, responded to Jin Taedo’s words.

“No need for that. They’ve already been ground to dust.”

Jin Taedo’s face immediately brightened as he praised him.

“Oh! That’s more like you, Lord Yu! Well done, well done! Those scoundrels deserve to die! I worry you might have been too merciful. They should have suffered more.”

Jin Taedo looked genuinely pleased.

Yu Haeung studied him with a sharp gaze for a moment before speaking.

“How do you feel about the fact that the number of scoundrels I’ve killed has already surpassed triple digits? At this point, either your warnings were lies, or your words simply don’t reach them. Either way, it’s clear that it’s time to discuss the very existence of the naval squad.”

It was a blunt demand.

Yu Haeung was straightforwardly calling for a decision on whether the naval squad should continue to exist.

At last, Jin Taedo’s expression stiffened.

No matter how easygoing he was, he couldn’t just laugh off words like that.

But then—

Just as the atmosphere turned icy, one of the clan heads from the Sulga family, who had been watching quietly, suddenly burst out in anger.

“Lord Yu! What nonsense is this?! To call our esteemed Hae-nam faction’s chief, Lord Jin, ‘Lord Jin’ like that?! Isn’t that outrageously disrespectful?! Apologize at once!”

Immediately, the other clan heads under Jin Taedo’s command—Hae, Mi, and Chuk families—joined in agreement.

“That’s right! How dare you disrespect the chief!”

“Apologize immediately!”

“When did the hierarchy of our Hae-nam faction become such a mess? This is intolerable!”

The hall erupted into chaos in an instant.

It felt like Yu Haeung would have to apologize before any further discussion could continue.

But watching the commotion, Yu Haeung smiled faintly.

He was certain this outburst was on Jin Taedo’s orders.

Yu Haeung had used the term “Lord Jin” many times before.

Yet now, they suddenly acted as if they couldn’t tolerate it.

And deflecting uncomfortable topics by stirring up distractions was a tactic Jin Taedo had used repeatedly.

“Apologize at once!”

“Yes! If you don’t apologize, this meeting will not continue…!”

As they shouted at Yu Haeung, ready to rise up, he suddenly unleashed a powerful aura toward them.

Whoosh!

“Apologize… huh!”

“Ugh!”

“W-what is this!”

The clan heads of Hae, Mi, Sul, and Chuk paled instantly, unable to continue speaking.

Naturally, only those of supreme skill could withstand Yu Haeung’s overwhelming presence.

And among the Hae-nam faction’s supreme warriors, only those clan heads not loyal to Jin Taedo remained.

In other words, all the clans that hadn’t reached the highest level of mastery were under Jin Taedo’s control.

As the four clan heads staggered under Yu Haeung’s force, he calmly looked toward Jin Taedo, Oh Ikdeok, and the clan heads of Jaga, Singa, and Myoga, who were steadfast, and slowly spoke.

“As a member of the Hae-nam faction, I have repeatedly asked Chief Jin to address the naval squad’s problem, which seriously damages our faction’s honor. But as time passes, the situation only worsens.”

Jin Taedo responded with a smooth smile.

“I have no words to counter that, Lord Yu. But some side effects are inevitable when expanding our power, aren’t they? You may have heard, but recently, the naval squad lost several ships to the Ma-kyung. So, to ensure the safety of Hae-nam Province, we need even greater strength.”

After saying this, Jin Taedo looked around arrogantly at the other clan heads.

“I will try harder to control the few rogue naval squad members. But I will never accept disbanding or downsizing the naval squad. Minor misdeeds can be corrected, but weakening our faction’s power threatens our survival. Therefore, today, I seek your approval to expand the naval squad—to build a force strong enough to overwhelm the Ma-kyung fleet.”

The clan heads of Chuk, Mi, Sul, and Hae nodded in agreement, while the others frowned uneasily.

“Minor misdeeds,” “threat from Ma-kyung,” “survival of Hae-nam faction.”

These were the familiar excuses Jin Taedo always used to push his agenda.

Now, they sounded painfully obvious.

Yet, despite their obviousness, no clan head dared to oppose them.

The “minor misdeeds” claim was nonsense, but the other two points involved Man Haksoong, the supreme warlord of the Southern Sea Ma-kyung.

Everyone in the Hae-nam faction knew well the terror Man Haksoong represented.

There had been a time when he wasn’t entrenched in Da-nam Province, and they had clashed head-on.

Jin Taedo ground his teeth as he spoke.

“Man Haksoong. You all remember his prowess. That monster sank ten ships in an instant just by throwing a single iron ring from his boat.”

Hearing this, the clan heads couldn’t help but let out low groans.

“Hmm.”

“Ugh.”

For those who had fought in that battle, Jin Taedo’s words were a nightmare.

They had defeated Man Haksoong’s fleet and surrounded him with over thirty ships, thinking they could finally capture the infamous Ma-kyung warlord.

But then, Man Haksoong appeared at the bow and threw an iron ring that sank ten ships in an instant.

The Hae-nam warriors had no choice but to retreat helplessly.

There was simply no way to block Man Haksoong’s iron rings.

“Like a school of minnows, they swarm to devour the dead and flee like mad when alive! Maybe we should call them the ‘Minnow faction’ instead of Hae-nam! Hahaha!”

The mocking voice of the Ma-kyung, laughing as they retreated with only twenty ships left, remained an unforgettable humiliation.

Jin Taedo’s eyes sharpened.

“I don’t expect everyone to like my methods. But! I believe you all know that everything I do is for the sake of our Hae-nam faction! Man Haksoong may be stuck in Da-nam Province now, but what if he sets foot in Hae-nam Province?”

He scanned the room.

No one answered.

Everyone knew that if the Ma-kyung landed in Hae-nam Province, it would be the end.

Seeing no response, Jin Taedo firmly declared.

“There is only one way to stand against him! Overwhelming naval power! We must build that power and stop him at sea! Therefore…!”

Indeed, Jin Taedo was a worthy hero among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.

His powerful presence and speech left the clan heads overwhelmed once again.

All but one.

Finally, that one spoke up, cutting off Jin Taedo’s passionate words with a quiet voice.

“Our Hae-nam faction…”

Despite his quiet tone, his voice carried an undeniable presence that commanded everyone’s attention—it was the voice of Yu Hae-eung, head of the Yu family.

All eyes turned to him.

Amid those gazes, Yu Hae-eung slowly began to speak.

“I wonder—does the current Haenam faction truly belong to us, or is it now the faction of the Jin family head?”

At those words, Jin Tae-do’s eyes snapped open wide as he shouted, “What are you saying?!”

But unlike the furious Jin Tae-do, Yu Hae-eung’s expression remained unchanged—calm and steady like a rock. In a low, deliberate voice, he continued:

“If the Jin family head truly desires the strength of the Haenam faction, then entrust me with command of the naval unit. Within a month, I will weed out all the worthless elements and forge an elite force. I will build a power so formidable that no one can challenge it, all while preserving the honor of the Haenam faction. What do you say, Jin family head? If your goal is to strengthen the Haenam faction, surely this is acceptable?”

For a moment, Jin Tae-do’s eyes flickered with hesitation. Then, with a composed smile, he replied:

“Yu family head, are you suggesting you want to take military control away from me, the chief of the sect? Surely you understand the difference between the sect chief commanding the naval unit and a family head doing so. Or is this a veiled attempt to increase your family’s power and challenge my position?”

Yu Hae-eung smiled faintly in return.

“If my being the Yu family head is the problem, I am willing to step down. I will pass the family headship to someone else and serve under the sect chief as commander of the naval unit. Would that resolve the issue?”

“Ha! Yu family head!”

“Brother!”

The proposal was shocking.

For the head of the Yu family to sever ties with the main house and renounce his honor as family head to serve under Jin Tae-do was unthinkable.

The other family heads stared at him in stunned silence.

Even Jin Tae-do’s face hardened.

He had never imagined Yu Hae-eung would go so far as to abandon his position and submit to him to manage the naval unit.

Jin Tae-do found himself at a loss for words.

On the surface, Yu Hae-eung’s offer was a noble act of self-sacrifice.

But accepting it was impossible.

Jin Tae-do could not relinquish command of the naval unit to anyone else—especially not to someone outside his own faction like Yu Hae-eung.

“That is…”

He scrambled for a response but found none.

Just as he was about to send a message ordering the other family heads to intervene—

“Step in quickly…!”

Yu Hae-eung spoke again, cutting him off before he could say a word.

“I have just said I will forsake my family and live solely for the Haenam faction. Yet you remain silent. If the naval unit truly serves the Haenam faction, there should be no reason to refuse.”

Then, as if making a declaration, he added:

“This is my final demand. Appoint me as commander of the naval unit—or disband it. If my request is denied again, I will consider the Haenam faction no longer ours, and the Yu family will withdraw from it.”

His voice was calm, but the impact was anything but.

It was like a massive meteor crashing into the sea, sending shockwaves through the assembly.

The family heads gasped in disbelief.

“What did you say?!”

“Yu… Yu family head!”

“How can you say that?!”

The statement was utterly staggering.

The Yu family had been part of the Haenam faction for centuries, renowned for their exceptional archery and a cornerstone of the faction’s naval strength.

Now, Yu Hae-eung was warning that the Yu family might leave the faction altogether.

This was a move no one—not even the seasoned Jin Tae-do—had anticipated.

The family heads finally understood why Yu Hae-eung had addressed Jin Tae-do as the Jin family head, not as sect chief.

It was a deliberate choice of words, signaling he no longer recognized him as their leader.

As the family heads struggled to find words in the face of Yu Hae-eung’s bombshell, the eldest among them—the head of the Haenam Myo family, Myo Cheong-ju, known as the faction’s strategist—strode forward, stroking his white beard.

“Yu family head, I understand your feelings, but your words are excessive. Our long-standing tradition is to resolve issues by vote at family head meetings. If your proposal is rejected, you cannot simply react like this…”

At that moment, the head of the Haenam Oh family, Oh Ik-deok, interrupted loudly.

“I, Oh Ik-deok, fully agree with Yu family head’s decision! If the naval unit issue remains unresolved, the Haenam Oh family will also withdraw from the Haenam faction! If this faction is no longer ours, there is no reason to stay!”

Even Myo Cheong-ju, usually composed and close to Yu Hae-eung like a brother, was taken aback.

This was a serious problem.

The Haenam Oh family’s importance to the faction surpassed even that of the Yu family.

They were masters of shipbuilding and navigation, responsible for constructing all the faction’s warships and training its navigators.

If the Oh family left, the faction’s naval power would collapse entirely.

Myo Cheong-ju’s face flushed as he raised his voice.

“You two, this is going too far! No matter how close you are, this is unacceptable—”

Then, the second eldest family head, Ja Gae-chu of the Haenam Ja family, who managed the faction’s finances with a business-minded approach rather than a warrior’s, spoke slowly.

“Hmm, it’s not just about friendship, Myo family head. I too am beginning to question whether this place is truly the Haenam faction. If it is not, why should we remain?”

As the faction’s financial overseer, Ja Gae-chu’s words carried immense weight.

Myo Cheong-ju was now completely at a loss for words.

Then, the head of the Haenam Shin family, Shin Du-wol, responsible for all weapon manufacturing with exceptional craftsmanship, spoke in a gruff voice.

“I am deeply ashamed. While the other family heads have been contemplating the fate of our faction, I have been focused only on forging metal. But even now, I cannot feel shame. The Shin family will follow Yu family head! If the Haenam faction is no longer what it once was, we have no reason to stay.”

As more family heads voiced their agreement, Jin Tae-do’s face twisted in fury.

The gentle eyes he once wore now blazed with hostility.

The situation was clear.

Except for those loyal to the Jin family, everyone but the Myo family had declared their intention to leave the Haenam faction.

Jin Tae-do could no longer maintain his benevolent facade. Clenching his teeth, he glared fiercely at the assembly.