Chapter 294
Dong Chaewon, known among the Saein as the iron-willed, cold-blooded pillar of the Yangju Dong family, gazed toward the eastern sky with a look heavy with worry.
Though she had already sent her beloved collateral granddaughter, Dong So-woon, ahead, she couldn’t be certain whether So-woon and Seolpoong would manage to meet in time and escape the bandits together.
In truth, she was well aware that the family head, Dong Jung-seo, had been secretly raising bandits and using them to eliminate her loyal followers.
Yet, despite knowing this, she couldn’t openly oppose Dong Jung-seo.
She understood all too well that the moment she confronted him head-on, it would spark a civil war within the Yangju Dong family.
“It’s not as simple as just removing the head of the family. There are many within the clan who still follow him. If we try to overthrow the family head, countless members will inevitably shed blood against each other.”
That was why Dong Chaewon could only watch silently, her heart aching in silence.
She could not, with her own hands, dismantle the Yangju Dong family.
More than anyone, she cherished and loved the clan, and she could not risk further destabilizing the already declining family.
“Brother…”
Her thoughts drifted to her older brother, Dong Gyuram, who had disappeared long ago, leaving behind only a letter before vanishing with Seolpoong.
In that letter, he had said he could never accept Gwegalhyeon becoming the new family head, and that Gwegalhyeon would never spare him.
If he stayed, the entire Yangju Dong family would be forced to fight him—and that would only lead to the clan’s destruction.
Dong Chaewon had no choice but to admit he was right.
If her resolute brother, who had already formed a good relationship with Seolpoong and was unyielding by nature, had remained as family head, the Yangju Dong family would have surely perished in a fierce battle against the current head, Gwegalhyeon.
So, in the end, her brother had left the family to protect it, entrusting the remaining matters to her and his son, Dong Jung-seo.
But even he could not have foreseen how quickly his son would break free from his shadow—and what kind of man Dong Jung-seo would become.
Closing her eyes tightly, Dong Chaewon whispered to the brother she would never see again.
“Brother, what am I to do now? I must restore the family before I die… but with my limited wisdom and strength, I have no idea how.”
She agonized.
She knew that the moment she opposed Dong Jung-seo, internal strife would erupt, so she could not remove him.
But she also could not leave him be.
His alliance with bandits, his claiming to be the right hand of a successor who wasn’t even confirmed—everything he did was tarnishing the family’s honor.
If even she disappeared, the family Dong Jung-seo would build would no longer be worthy of the Dong name.
So, she was powerless.
“What other choice is there?”
The best outcome would be if Dong Jung-seo suddenly changed his heart and became a proper family head.
But no matter how much Dong Chaewon hoped, that seemed impossible.
Even if Dong So-woon, sent to Seolpoong, managed to bring him back safely, the problem remained.
The family head would try to kill him at all costs, and if Seolpoong clashed with the head, he would never receive the family’s support.
If Seolpoong killed the family head, it would be even worse.
The family would be shattered, and Seolpoong would become the clan’s enemy.
No matter how hard Dong Chaewon tried, she could not protect someone who killed the rightful family head.
They would fight until the last member of the family remained.
“Huuh…”
Dong Chaewon sighed deeply, weighed down by a problem as dark and impenetrable as the night.
She even wondered if she should have instructed Dong So-woon not to bring Seolpoong here at all.
“No, that’s right. That’s what I should have done. Even if Seolpoong comes here, there’s nothing I can do for him.”
Just then—
Flap! Flap!
With a powerful beat of wings, a hawk swooped down toward her.
It was a messenger hawk from Dong So-woon, sent by Seolpoong.
Dong Chaewon, her face still shadowed, untied the letter tied to the hawk’s leg and began to read.
As she read, her expression began to shift.
Her emotions flickered rapidly in a brief moment.
After finishing the letter, she murmured slowly.
“Seon Woo-jin?”
She fell into deep thought, her face grave.
The letter contained a proposal from a young man named Seon Woo-jin, who had come with Seolpoong.
And that proposal demanded a major decision from her.
Swallowing hard, she whispered,
“If what he says is true… then maybe…”
Perhaps this could finally resolve the deadlock.
At last, Dong Chaewon steeled her resolve, quickly penned a reply, tied it to the messenger hawk, and sent it off.
Her eyes, which had looked so frustrated moments before, now gleamed with sharp determination.
Dong Jung-seo, head of the Yangju Dong family, awaited a message from Hyeolpoong Dae-do, leader of the Hyeolpoong bandits.
Though the message was slightly delayed, he was not worried.
He had no doubt of Hyeolpoong Dae-do’s success.
Originally named Hyeong Dogu, he had been Dong Jung-seo’s secret disciple for years.
Recognizing the young ronin’s talent, Dong Jung-seo had supplied him with elixirs and martial arts training—to wield a blade unknown to others.
Now, more than a decade later, Hyeong Dogu had exceeded all expectations.
His leadership in uniting the bandits into a formidable force was beyond what Dong Jung-seo had hoped for.
Every time he thought of him, a smile crept to his lips.
“Heh heh, truly like finding a pearl in the dirt.”
And that pearl had never failed a mission.
So this time would be no different.
After all, a mere five young men could never survive against a cavalry force of over a thousand trained warriors.
Just then—
Flap! Flap!
A messenger hawk flew in, carrying a letter from Hyeolpoong Dae-do, Hyeong Dogu.
Dong Jung-seo smiled brightly as he took the letter.
“Let’s see.”
But as he read, his smile slowly stiffened.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“Hmm, well, if it’s under the pretext of exterminating bandits…”
Muttering to himself, he finally made up his mind and shouted loudly,
“Prepare the First, Second, and Third Binghyeol units for immediate deployment! We’re going to exterminate the bandits!”
The Binghyeol First, Second, and Third units were packed with his most loyal subordinates—his personal guard.
With them, no matter what he did, there was no fear of leaks outside the family.
For example, if they went to exterminate bandits and ended up killing that Seolpoong fellow, no one outside would ever know.
Dong Jung-seo hurriedly prepared his personal guard.
He had to move quickly to keep to schedule.
Upon hearing that Dong Jung-seo was finally going to exterminate the bandits, Dong Chaewon came to see him.
“So you’ve finally made up your mind! Well done, family head! But isn’t it too few troops to take only the First, Second, and Third Binghyeol units? Why not bring the Fourth and Fifth, and the elders as well?”
Dong Jung-seo smiled warmly, true to his nickname “Soft Noodles,” and shook his head.
“Thank you for your concern, Aunt. But this will suffice. If I can’t handle this with just these forces, how can I call myself the head of the Dong family? I will exterminate the bandits completely. Please wait for my return.”
Hearing this, Dong Chaewon nodded with a proud expression.
“Understood, family head. I’m proud of you. Our brother in heaven will be pleased as well.”
“I hope so too. I’ll be off then, Aunt.”
With that, Dong Jung-seo led his warriors out of the family estate.
Turning away from Dong Chaewon, his face hardened into a cold expression, quite unlike his usual gentle demeanor.
But since he had turned his back, he could not see that Dong Chaewon’s face had grown equally cold.
Dong Jung-seo led the Binghyeol First, Second, and Third units swiftly out of Yangju.
Once they confirmed no one was nearby, he halted them and began to explain their true mission.
“The bandits I command are chasing after a man named Seolpoong! Reports say they’re coming this way! Our goal is to cooperate with the bandits and kill him! Of course, those who kill him must be publicly known as bandits! Understood?!”
At first, the Binghyeol members looked slightly taken aback.
But they soon returned to their usual impassive expressions.
They believed their only duty was to follow orders, no matter what.
Satisfied with their reaction, Dong Jung-seo urged them onward.
“Let’s go! Great rewards await whoever kills him!”
Using lightness skills, Dong Jung-seo and his men took off at a sprint.
About half a shi-jin later, they spotted a cloud of dust rising beyond the horizon.
The bandits were approaching.
Dong Jung-seo’s eyes gleamed as he shouted,
“There they are! Everyone, draw your swords!”
Without slowing their gallop, the Binghyeol squad members drew their blades in perfect unison.
Chak-chak!
In the next instant, they spotted a man in crimson robes charging fiercely toward them from the horizon.
It was Seolpung.
Seeing him, Dong Jung-seo let out a cold, bitter smile.
Just as the ancient texts of the Bloodwind Blade Sect’s Hyungdogu described, Seolpung had lost his entire group and was now alone, being hunted by bandits.
Chuckling, Dong Jung-seo shouted to his Binghyeol warriors, “So he’s truly alone! Binghyeol, lock onto the target!”
The squad’s eyes gleamed as they focused on Seolpung.
At that moment, Seolpung finally noticed Dong Jung-seo and the Binghyeol squad charging toward him—and his face betrayed clear surprise.
He faltered, slowing his escape.
It was a strange reaction.
It meant he already knew Dong Jung-seo hadn’t come to help him.
But Dong Jung-seo didn’t think that far.
He simply shouted with excitement, “Go! Kill him!”
Moments later, like a tidal wave, the mounted bandits and the Binghyeol squad closed in on Seolpung from both sides.
A satisfied smile curled on Dong Jung-seo’s lips as he watched the scene unfold.
But then—
Pwahak!
“Ughhh!”
“Kraaaah!”
Dong Jung-seo’s smile froze in an instant.
The ones screaming and dying weren’t Seolpung—they were his own Binghyeol warriors.
“What… what is this?”
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
He blinked, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.
The bandits hadn’t attacked Seolpung, who stood still—they had charged straight into Dong Jung-seo’s Binghyeol squad.
Caught off guard, the Binghyeol warriors, not recognizing them as enemies, were slaughtered mercilessly.
Pwahak!
“Ughhh!”
Chuak!
“Kraaaah!”
Dong Jung-seo watched in stunned silence for a moment before shouting in fury:
—You fools! They’re not your enemies! Your only target is that Seolpung bastard!
He interpreted the chaos as a case of the stupid bandits mistaking their foes.
So he poured his inner energy into his voice, yelling at them.
But no matter how loud he shouted, the bandits didn’t listen.
With desperate eyes, as if ready to die, they kept charging the Binghyeol squad.
Dong Jung-seo’s face flushed with rage as he bellowed:
—Dogoo! Where is Hyungdogu?! Can’t you get your men under control?!
He scanned around, searching for Hyungdogu, and soon spotted a man in a red mask riding calmly at the rear of the bandits.
It was Hyungdogu, the secret disciple Dong Jung-seo had raised.
“Hm?”
Something felt off to Dong Jung-seo.
Hyungdogu’s composed demeanor gave him a bad feeling.
Still, he shouted at him:
—You! What are you doing?! Get your men in line!
But Hyungdogu didn’t answer.
Instead, he raised his greatsword and spurred his horse forward with fierce speed.
Clack-clack-clack!
“Oh!”
Dong Jung-seo admired him, thinking Hyungdogu was finally going to kill Seolpung.
He watched eagerly, eyes full of hope.
But Hyungdogu didn’t meet his expectations.
Charging toward Seolpung, he suddenly sped past him without a word.
Then, like the other bandits, he turned and charged at the Binghyeol squad, swinging his greatsword wildly.
Pwahak!
“Kraaaah!”
“Ughhh!”
Hyungdogu’s strikes were devastating.
As he swung his greatsword, it was like watching Zhao Zilong from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Binghyeol warriors fell like grass before a scythe, blood spraying as they died.
Dong Jung-seo finally shouted, spitting out his words like blood:
“Dogoo, you bastard!”
He had to accept the bitter truth: his carefully trained disciple, Hyungdogu, had betrayed him.
Thanks to him, the Binghyeol squad—who had just begun to hold their own against the bandits—were being slaughtered helplessly.
The fragile balance had been completely overturned by this one man.
“You bastard! What the hell are you doing?!”
No matter how much Dong Jung-seo screamed, reality refused to bend.
Hyungdogu swung his greatsword like a force of nature, massacring the Binghyeol warriors, and now charged straight at Dong Jung-seo himself.
“You bastard…”
Dong Jung-seo finally accepted it.
He had been betrayed.
Grinding his teeth, he summoned his inner energy and shouted:
“You! After all I did to raise you, I’ll kill you with my own hands!”
With that shout, veins bulged on his hands as blood surged forth.
The blood froze instantly, forming a long spear.
This was the Cold-Blooded Formation Technique, a secret passed down through generations of the Yang family, and the blood spear that had earned him his nickname.
Dong Jung-seo aimed the blood spear at the charging Hyungdogu.
“You bastard! I’ll kill you—”
But then, suddenly, he realized something.
The masked man’s face was slightly different from Hyungdogu’s.
Red mask, red horse, similar build, wielding a greatsword—he had assumed it was Hyungdogu, but it wasn’t.
With a shocked cry, Dong Jung-seo shouted:
“Who are you?! Just who the hell are you?!”
At that moment, a voice echoed in his ear.
—Curious, are you, Master?
A familiar voice—but one that should never have been heard here.
Dong Jung-seo whipped his head around to find the source.
There, in the distance, stood his aunt, Dong Chaewon, leader of the Cheolsim Cold-Blooded Faction, flanked by elders and other Binghyeol warriors.
She should have been waiting back at the Yang family estate, yet there she was, watching him coldly from afar.
Dong Jung-seo gasped in disbelief.
“A-Aunt?! How… how did you get here?!”
He couldn’t make sense of the situation.
But one thing was clear: something was terribly wrong.
Just as he was about to shout to his men—
“Everyone…!”
In an instant, the masked attacker charged from behind and swung his greatsword down.
“Hah!”
Shuaak!
Dong Jung-seo caught the attack from the corner of his eye and raised his blood spear to block it.
He knew Hyungdogu’s skill well enough to believe he could stop this strike.
But he had failed to realize this wasn’t Hyungdogu.
Confused, Dong Jung-seo didn’t notice the difference—and the man disguised as Hyungdogu delivered his strongest blow.
The Mukrang Sword Technique, First Strike.
Chaaah!
Using the Chukgol Gong, Sun Woo-jin’s greatsword shattered Dong Jung-seo’s blood spear without resistance and tore through his body.
It was over in a single strike.
Dong Jung-seo’s eyes widened in shock as his body was split in two.
Unable to utter a final word, his mouth opened and closed silently.
Dong Chaewon sent a transmission to him.
—Poor Master, you sacrificed yourself trying to defeat the bandits. Thank you.
Hearing that, Dong Jung-seo died without even closing his eyes.
Dong Chaewon shouted loudly.
—The Master of the Yang family has fallen to the bandits! All Yang warriors, risk your lives and exterminate the bandits!
With that, the warriors Dong Chaewon had brought charged into battle.
Though the Binghyeol squad Dong Jung-seo had brought was nearly wiped out by Sun Woo-jin and the bandits, the reinforcements Dong Chaewon brought surged forward, and the bandits began to falter, their strength spent.
Far from the battlefield on the plains where the Yang warriors and bandits clashed, a man wearing a bamboo hat stood atop a hill, watching.
He was perched on a thin branch at the very top of a tree, standing lightly on a leaf that would have bent under the weight of an insect.
Yet he stood there as if weightless, calmly observing the fight below.
After a while, the man in the bamboo hat suddenly asked the empty air.
“But what’s the point of all this? I don’t really understand.”
From the void came a voice in reply.
—Those bandits are the secret blades raised by the current Yang family head, Dong Jung-seo. He used them to cut down the limbs of his political rival, Dong Chaewon, leader of the Cheolsim Cold-Blooded Faction. So the recent attack on Lord Seolpung was probably ordered by Dong Jung-seo himself. He likely had some secret pact with Lord Gwejeonggi.
Hearing this, the man in the bamboo hat nodded as if he finally understood.
“So that’s how it is. I’d heard the Yang family head wasn’t very trustworthy. So, is Dong Jung-seo basically dead by the hands of his own men now?”
“More likely, it’ll look like he died trying to wipe out the bandits. Dong Chaewon probably avoided openly clashing with Dong Jungseo all this time to prevent internal strife within the Dong family. But if Dong Jungseo ends up dying at the hands of the bandits like this, from Dong Chaewon’s perspective, it’s like he didn’t have to lift a finger and still got what he wanted, isn’t it?”
“Hmm, so he prevents internal conflict and gets rid of an unwanted family head at the same time?”
“Exactly. The explanation is simple, but it’s quite a clever move.”
Hearing this, Jukripin nodded in admiration and turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
By now, the fight between the Dong family warriors and the bandits had clearly tipped in favor of the Dong warriors.
At this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before the bandits were completely wiped out.
The Bloodwind Squad, which had given the bandits the upper hand earlier, had vanished from the battlefield without a trace.
No one knew when or where they disappeared.
But Jukripin, with his keen insight, suspected that the black-clad youth swinging his sword casually beside Seolpung was none other than Bi Cheon Heukrang, Sun Woojin.
The aura he gave off was unmistakably the same.
Jukripin looked at him and quietly asked, “I doubt that punk has that much brains… Could this be his doing?”
A voice answered from the void.
“Most likely. Bi Cheon Heukrang, Sun Woojin. His reputation outside isn’t remarkable, but tracking his movements reveals some interesting patterns.”
“Interesting patterns?”
“When So Myeon Magun, Sa Wonyang, who had formed the Jeonghyeop faction in Sichuan, died; when Chuk Hotak, the Yama Blood Assassin targeting the Sunwoo family in Guizhou, was killed; and recently, when Jin Taedo of the Haenam Sword Sect died—Sun Woojin’s whereabouts coincided almost exactly with theirs. Strangely, no one knows what he actually did at those times. The same goes for Prince Seolpung, who moved alongside him.”
Jukripin’s lips curved into a thin smile.
“That’s quite fascinating. Very fascinating indeed.”
The voice from the void spoke again.
“Of course, there’s no proof they were involved in those incidents. It’s possible they just happened to be passing through.”
Jukripin smiled wryly and shook his head.
“Judging by how he pressured Baek Giryang last time, Jin Taedo of the Haenam Sword Sect was definitely within his reach. I’d say that’s probably true. And on top of that, he’s smart? That punk’s got himself a valuable ally.”
As he spoke, Jukripin’s smile held a certain satisfaction.
Hidden in the shadows, the secret agent watched his master with curious eyes.
It was rare to see Jukripin smile like that.
Suddenly, Jukripin spoke again.
“The fight’s over.”
Turning his gaze back, the Dong family warriors were cheering loudly, having just taken down the last bandit.
At that moment, Dong Chaewon of the Iron Heart Cold-Blooded Faction slowly approached the corpse of the family head, Dong Jungseo.
Tears streamed down her face—tears that might look like sorrow to others, but whose true meaning was impossible to read.