Chapter 288
Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Nestled right beside the Yangtze River, this place had long flourished as a hub of transportation and logistics. For nearly a century, it had been under the firm control of the Yang family of Yangzhou.
The Yang family traced their lineage back to the founder, Dong Cheon-woo, the cold-blooded warlord of the Tongcheon era, and had consistently produced outstanding warriors and strategists through the generations.
Because of this legacy, from the Tongcheon era all the way to the current Sa Wang Lian, the Yang family had never lost their position as the second most powerful faction.
At least, that was true until about twenty years ago.
Dong Jung-seo, head of the Yang family, was currently strolling through the garden, reading a letter sent by Gwe Jeong-gi, the eldest son of the Sa Wang.
Though he had read it several times already, he poured over it again and again, as if trying to fully imprint its contents in his mind.
The letter read:
— A man named Seol Poong, who claims to be a descendant of the Seol family, will be coming there. How you treat him will determine the future of both yourself and the Yang family. I trust you, head of the family.
Dong Jung-seo’s cold eyes scanned the words, and he muttered under his breath with a bitter edge.
“Arrogant bastard.”
Though Gwe Jeong-gi was the leading candidate to become the next Sa Wang, he held no official position within the Sa Wang Lian yet.
In fact, his rank was even below Dong Jung-seo’s.
And yet, look at the tone of this letter.
It wasn’t written like a superior addressing a subordinate.
Not just the tone—the content was downright presumptuous, implying that the treatment he would receive depended on how Dong Jung-seo handled the situation.
It felt as if it were a command given to a subordinate.
Dong Jung-seo clenched his teeth.
This was the current state of the Yang family, which had never before lost the second-in-command spot within the Sa Wang Lian.
They were now being looked down upon even by the heir apparent to the next Sa Wang.
Grinding his teeth, Dong Jung-seo vowed silently:
“I will restore the Yang family to its former glory. No one will ever dare to look down on us again.”
When he was young, he had watched with his own eyes as his father, the former head Dong Gyu-ram, disappeared along with the young Seol Poong, and the Yang family plummeted into endless decline, as if falling off a cliff.
He had made this vow countless times.
It was no exaggeration to say that his entire life up to now had been dedicated to this one goal.
The reason he kept rereading that unpleasant letter was to remind himself of that resolve.
He wanted to turn this bitter feeling into fuel for his comeback, recalling the old tale of enduring hardship to achieve revenge.
“Yes, if crawling at your feet can restore our past glory, then I will gladly become your dog.”
Despite his nickname “Little Face,” Dong Jung-seo’s expression twisted fiercely, his sharp gaze piercing the air.
At that moment, someone called out to him as they approached.
“Head! Head, are you here?!”
Hearing the voice, Dong Jung-seo’s face instantly softened into the warm, friendly smile he always showed others.
“I’m here! I’m right here, Aunt!”
Turning toward the voice, an elderly woman approached.
Though her hair was white and she leaned on a cane, her sharp demeanor remained intact. This was Dong Jung-seo’s aunt, Dong Chae-won.
Clicking her cane on the ground as she walked, she asked him,
“Head, have you heard the news?”
Dong Jung-seo flinched slightly but quickly masked it with a blank expression.
“News? What news are you talking about, Aunt?”
Dong Chae-won replied with a look of regret.
“Huh, so you still haven’t heard. A descendant of the Seol family has appeared in the Lian.”
“What? A descendant of the Seol family?”
“Yes, the very son of our A-yeon! That child is alive!”
“Wha—?!”
Dong Jung-seo’s face showed genuine surprise.
Dong Chae-won continued, her eyes glistening with emotion.
“Not only that! That child has earned the current Sa Wang’s approval as the next heir!”
She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.
Dong Jung-seo inwardly clicked his tongue but outwardly played along, feigning surprise.
“No way! How is that possible? It’s surprising enough that the Sa Wang let him live, but to grant him heir status?”
Dong Chae-won scoffed.
“Hmph! Even that guy had some conscience! Otherwise, maybe the child was just too talented to throw away. But that’s not the point, Head. A candidate carrying our bloodline has appeared. Shouldn’t we unite to support him?”
Dong Jung-seo forced a strained smile.
“I want to, Aunt, truly. But as you know, we’re not in a position to spare any resources right now. We haven’t even dealt with the Xuefeng Bandits yet. How can we afford to look outward when we’re still fighting them?”
Dong Chae-won’s face hardened instantly.
With a fierce glare, she snapped,
“Are you saying that again, Head?! That’s why I keep telling you! No matter the cost, we must crush those bandits! It’s because you keep hesitating and delaying that they’ve grown this strong! If we leave them be, they’ll only keep growing like a cancer! And yet you say you can’t help the heir because of them? Does that make any sense?!”
Dong Jung-seo smiled gently, trying to calm his angry aunt.
“I never imagined they’d grow this big either. My top priority is the safety of our family members, so I have to find a way to minimize the damage. It’s my lack of judgment. But don’t worry. This time, I will find a way to deal with those bandits. And we will support the heir who carries our blood. Please, Aunt, trust your nephew just a little longer. I beg you.”
Even though he was her junior, Dong Jung-seo’s position as head gave weight to his plea.
Dong Chae-won couldn’t press him further.
She bit her lip, sighed resignedly, and said,
“…Very well. This time, I will wait for good news, Head.”
“Yes, I won’t disappoint you, Aunt.”
Dong Chae-won hobbled away with a weaker step than before, cane tapping softly.
As her figure receded, Dong Jung-seo’s friendly smile slowly faded into a cold expression.
He muttered quietly,
“Still…”
Since his father, the previous head Dong Gyu-ram, disappeared during the Seol family massacre, the person who had irritated Dong Jung-seo the most was this very aunt, Dong Chae-won.
She had never married and clung tightly to the family, constantly spouting outdated notions of pride and faith, interfering in every matter.
She refused to acknowledge how far the Yang family had fallen.
So it was no surprise she couldn’t accept the harsh reality that restoring the family’s prosperity would require any means necessary.
“Truly pathetic. She’s no help to the Yang family’s revival.”
The problem was that her influence within the family remained considerable.
Since the days of Dong Gyu-ram, she had acted as the matriarch in place of Dong Jung-seo’s deceased mother, holding real power in many areas.
Moreover, many warriors still sympathized with her old-fashioned talk of pride and faith.
After much thought, Dong Jung-seo had resolved to cut off her influence—slowly, quietly, and discreetly.
So far, he had succeeded in severing most of her connections.
Her power within the family was now almost nonexistent.
“Or so I thought…”
After hearing her news just now, he realized he had been mistaken.
“She still has enough information to hear such news? Hah!”
It was infuriating.
Though she was his father’s sister and he had refrained from touching her directly, once this matter was settled, he would have to deal with her as well.
“Yes, once this is over. Starting with that Seol Poong.”
Seol Poong.
The very name made him laugh bitterly.
Strictly speaking, the Yang family’s downfall was all because of that man’s father.
And now that shameless bastard wanted to come to the Yang family for help.
The audacity was staggering.
Whistle!
Dong Jung-seo whistled sharply, summoning his personal messenger hawk.
He needed to send orders regarding that man’s elimination.
Watching the hawk soar, Dong Jung-seo thought to himself:
“Maybe getting rid of him will be the seed for the Yang family’s revival.”
If so, it would be a way to repay the debt caused by that man’s father. That wouldn’t be so bad.
A bright, sunny afternoon.
A group of escort guards hurried along.
They bore the banner of the Liuhap Escort Agency.
This time, they were transporting swords crafted by the famous Liuhap Choo family, renowned swordsmiths from Liuhap.
The Choo family was one of the twenty-three great clans of the Sa Wang, and their swords were famed throughout the martial world as masterpieces.
Therefore, this escort mission was a very important event for the Liuhap Escort Agency.
They had assigned all their top fighters to this mission, and on top of that, had received support from an elite master from the Choo family itself.
Choo Je-gu, the famous supreme master of the Choo family, rode at the front, scanning the surroundings carefully.
But as always, the area remained quiet.
Instead, all that reached his ears was the noisy chatter of the children behind him.
“Is this the Yangtze River soon?! We’re going to take a boat, right?!”
“Wow! That sounds so fun!”
“Hmph! Fun? The Yangtze’s huge. It’s only exciting at first; after that, it’s just boring!”
“Tch! You’re just bragging because you crossed it once!”
“What did you say?!”
Chuje-gu faintly smiled at the voices coming from the carriage behind him.
He had always liked children, so rather than finding them annoying, he found their noise endearing.
At that moment, Yuk Du-saeng, the head of the Yukhap Escort Bureau who was riding alongside him, spoke up with an embarrassed expression.
“Elder Choo, it must be noisy for you. I apologize.”
The children in the carriage were the offspring of Yuk Du-saeng and the other escort leaders.
Previously, Yuk Du-saeng had promised to show the children the Sawang Pavilion.
Since this escort route happened to pass by the pavilion, they took the opportunity to bring the children along in the carriage.
Chuje-gu smiled warmly in response.
“That just means you’ve put great care into ensuring the safety of this escort, enough to bring even your own children along. I’m the one who should be grateful, not apologizing.”
Yuk Du-saeng scratched his head and expressed his thanks.
“I appreciate your understanding. And it’s true—we’ve done everything we can to guarantee this escort’s safety.”
“Good, I know that well.”
The Yukhap Escort Bureau and the Yukhap Escort Office had been trading for many years, with the bureau transporting the swords made by the office.
Throughout their long partnership, they had never encountered any trouble, which was why it wasn’t unusual for family members to accompany the escort.
Suddenly, Yuk Du-saeng asked Chuje-gu.
“By the way, will you be skipping Yangju Dongga this time? You always stop there when passing through.”
Chuje-gu sighed softly before answering.
“It was more out of courtesy before… but this time, we have a long journey ahead. We’ll just pass through. I don’t want to waste energy here when we still have to reach the far East Sea. Honestly, facing the Dongga Lord, whose intentions I can never read, has always been a real headache for me.”
Yuk Du-saeng nodded in understanding.
“I can imagine. To be honest, I also found the Dongga Lord’s smiling face quite unsettling. His eyes never smile—only his mouth does. It always gives me chills.”
“So you felt the same. You can’t imagine how I felt, having to sit and chat over tea with him. I’d rather run into bandits than meet the Dongga Lord.”
“What? Ha ha ha!”
Yuk Du-saeng burst out laughing at Chuje-gu’s exaggeration, then suddenly remembered something.
“Come to think of it, although we haven’t met them, I’ve heard the bandit gangs near Yangju have become a serious problem. Even the Dongga’s warriors have suffered attacks.”
“Really? The Dongga’s own men were targeted? Then why haven’t they been dealt with yet?”
“They say the bandits didn’t give the Dongga any chance to intervene. They only attacked the warriors, leaving ordinary people alone.”
“Good grief!”
Even in Jiangsu Province, where the Sawang Pavilion ensured the protection of common folk, there were vulnerabilities.
The protection extended only to civilians.
The Sawang Pavilion never interfered in conflicts between warriors—unless poison was involved, ambushes and open fights were left alone.
As a result, some killers operating in Jiangsu targeted only the weaker warriors, sparing civilians entirely.
It was a blind spot born from accepting the law of the jungle among warriors.
Chuje-gu’s face hardened as he asked Yuk Du-saeng.
“And what about the Dongga? Why haven’t they dealt with these bandits?”
Yuk Du-saeng sighed deeply.
“I don’t know the full story, but rumors say the situation in Dongga is worse than it appears. Probably because of the Dongga Lord himself.”
“Good grief!”
Chuje-gu sighed.
Everyone pretended not to notice, but it was no secret that the Dongga, one of the thirteen Sawang families, was steadily declining.
To think they had fallen so far they couldn’t even handle a bandit gang—it was a sad sight for a fellow Sawang family.
Chuje-gu spoke with concern.
“Then shouldn’t we be worried about those bandits too? Maybe we should have stopped by Dongga to ask for support, even if it took some time.”
Yuk Du-saeng shook his head with a smile.
“Don’t worry. We’ve already passed through Dongga, and the bandits aren’t scary because of their strength, but because they keep striking and retreating like mosquitoes. I’ve heard they’re selective about their targets. They wouldn’t dare touch an escort of our size. And if they did? With you, Elder Choo, here, that day would be their funeral.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Chuje-gu stroked his beard and smiled.
Though he spoke with concern, he wasn’t truly afraid of bandits.
If anything, he was almost looking forward to showing off his skills to the children in the carriage.
Just then—
As if his wish had been heard—
The sound of galloping hooves began to reach the ears of the supreme master.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!