Chapter 295

— Dong Jung-seo, the head of the Yangju Dong family and master of the Somyeon Blood Technique, died fighting over a thousand bandits to welcome Seol Poong, the “Gwangpung Biryu” and one of the successors to the Four Kings.

News of this spread like wildfire throughout Jiangsu Province.

In response, the various martial arts factions in Jiangsu, including the Four Kings Alliance, each sent condolences and mourners. People praised Dong Jung-seo for sacrificing himself to drive out the bandit gangs that had long plagued Yangju.

It also became known that the one who avenged Dong Jung-seo by defeating Hyeol Poong Dae-do, the leader of the bandit group Hyeol Poong-sa who had killed him, was none other than Gwangpung Biryu Seol Poong—and that his mother originally came from the Yangju Dong family.

This revelation sparked curiosity about Seol Poong’s future moves, now backed by the power of the Yangju Dong family.

Many enthusiasts were already speculating excitedly, calling him a strong contender who could rival the leading candidates for the next Four Kings successor, Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Chang-gi.

This was the moment Seol Poong’s name was firmly etched into the minds of the Four Kings Alliance.

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At that moment, Seol Poong was deep within the heart of the Yangju Dong family estate, meeting with Dong Chae-won of the Iron Heart Cold-Blooded Faction, accompanied by his companions.

Dong Chae-won had been overwhelmed with preparations for Dong Jung-seo’s funeral and could only meet Seol Poong three days later.

She held Seol Poong’s hand tightly, tears streaming down her face.

“You really do look just like Ah-yeon. Your features are identical. Your face is her spitting image, but your body has grown into such a tall, strong man. Your older brother must have raised you exceptionally well.”

Seol Poong smiled warmly in return.

“My maternal grandfather also missed Auntie very much. He said if he ever met her, he wanted to apologize.”

Hearing that, Dong Chae-won’s tears flowed even more freely at the news that her older brother would never be seen again.

“Apologize? What is there to be sorry for? He sacrificed himself alone for the family and still raised you so well. It’s I who should be sorry for not being able to guide my own nephew properly, even here in this peaceful place…”

Her long-suppressed emotions finally broke free, and she wept for a long while.

This fragile side was unlike the cold, iron-hearted reputation she carried.

Perhaps this was the true self she had hidden for so long, burdened by the responsibility of protecting the Yangju Dong family alone.

Seol Poong looked at his great-aunt with gentle eyes and continued their conversation.

For Seol Poong, who had lived alone without any blood relatives since his maternal grandfather’s passing, this moment—sharing family memories—was priceless.

His companions watched quietly with warm smiles, sensing just how happy Seol Poong was.

After a long while, Dong Chae-won finally wiped her tears and addressed the others.

“This old woman has been so caught up in grief that I haven’t properly welcomed such precious guests. I’m truly sorry. And… thank you. Thank you for standing by Poong’s side and fighting alongside him.”

She then looked at Sunwoo Jin.

“Thanks to you, Young Hero Sunwoo, we were able to remove the tumor that had long eaten away at our family. The Dong family will never forget this debt.”

Sunwoo Jin simply smiled and bowed his head slightly, without any false modesty.

The power structure of the Yangju Dong family had rapidly shifted.

Dong Chae-won had taken over as acting head in place of Dong Jung-seo, wielding full authority.

Because Dong Jung-seo was so distrustful, he never groomed a second-in-command. Now, with the first, second, and third divisions of the Binghyeol Unit wiped out, no one remained to challenge Dong Chae-won.

Of course, Dong Jung-seo left behind a young son and wife.

But the son was still under ten years old, and the wife had been completely sidelined in the family’s power structure even while Dong Jung-seo was alive.

Unlike the respectful treatment Dong Chae-won received publicly, Dong Jung-seo openly neglected his wife for all to see.

In fact, Dong Chae-won had taken it upon herself to care for Dong Jung-seo’s wife more than he did.

Dong Chae-won looked between Sunwoo Jin and Seol Poong.

“As per the proposal you sent by letter, Young Hero Sunwoo, our family will fully support Poong from now on. Though our power currently lags behind the Jin Gangman and Heukrim families, we will devote all our strength to aid Poong. Starting immediately, I will assign the Binghyeol Unit to serve as Poong’s personal guard.”

The Binghyeol Unit, composed of seven divisions, now had only four remaining after the first three were wiped out.

With the family’s strength diminished, the Binghyeol Unit’s role had become even more critical.

Despite all this, Dong Chae-won was offering the Binghyeol Unit’s support to Seol Poong.

Seol Poong exchanged a glance with Sunwoo Jin and smiled gently.

“Great-aunt, I truly appreciate your kindness, but there’s no need for that. We…”

His refusal was polite but firm.

Dong Chae-won’s expression hardened slightly as she interrupted.

“There’s no need to refuse. Didn’t Young Hero Sunwoo tell me himself that Gwe Jeong-gi was behind the attack on Dong Jung-seo? This will only keep happening. Even though our family’s situation is difficult, offering the Binghyeol Unit’s support isn’t about showing off power. It’s because without it, you could be in danger. So don’t decline. No, you must not.”

Seol Poong looked at Sunwoo Jin with a troubled expression.

Sunwoo Jin spoke up.

“May I say a few words on his behalf?”

Dong Chae-won nodded, and Sunwoo Jin began.

“As you said, Gwe Jeong-gi will never give up. Next time, he won’t just repeat this incident—he’ll use even stronger tactics.”

“Hmm, given his prideful nature, that’s to be expected. So the Binghyeol Unit should…”

“But that’s exactly what I wanted from him. We deliberately let it be known that we were coming to the Yangju Dong family to provoke his actions.”

“?!”

Dong Chae-won was momentarily speechless, surprised by Sunwoo Jin’s revelation.

The news that Seol Poong’s group was heading to the Yangju Dong family had spread because some overheard their conversations within the Four Kings Alliance.

Now Sunwoo Jin admitted they had intentionally leaked that information.

“You deliberately spread the news?”

“Yes. I wanted to see how he would react.”

“So you knew that our former family head had aligned with him?”

“No, I didn’t know that far. But I suspected he would try to reach out to the Dong family in some way.”

“Hmmm.”

Dong Chae-won sighed deeply.

She found it hard to fully trust the words of this handsome young hero, who seemed like a sage able to see a thousand miles ahead.

She already knew Sunwoo Jin’s martial skills and intelligence were extraordinary.

Still, she couldn’t be certain his words weren’t born of youthful arrogance.

But she also couldn’t dismiss them outright.

After all, Sunwoo Jin had solved a problem the Dong family had been unable to handle for a long time with a single move.

Before making any judgment, she decided to hear more.

“So, what did you learn from his reaction?”

Sunwoo Jin smiled.

“I learned a lot. First, that he’s a coward who only pretends to be smart.”

Dong Chae-won frowned deeply.

That was a blatant insult to Gwe Jeong-gi.

“A coward?”

She found it hard to accept.

Within the Four Kings Alliance, Gwe Jeong-gi was widely regarded as the perfect successor.

True, he received substantial support from his maternal family, the Jin Gangman, and benefited from their connections.

But those were secondary advantages.

If Gwe Jeong-gi himself lacked talent, the Four Kings Alliance would never have accepted him.

In fact, he was known for his excellent martial arts, sharp intellect, and calm temperament—qualities that made him nearly perfect as the next Four Kings successor.

He had long commanded many subordinates, so his leadership was unquestioned.

Yet Sunwoo Jin dismissed him as a coward who only put on a show of intelligence.

Dong Chae-won felt her trust in Sunwoo Jin waver.

Still, she pressed on.

“This old woman doesn’t quite understand. Why do you say that?”

Sunwoo Jin answered as if it were obvious.

“Seol Poong constantly provoked Gwe Jeong-gi’s pride within the Four Kings Alliance. He ignored his warnings and challenged him, overwhelmed his most prized subordinate, and even matched him without trying his hardest. I wanted to see how he would respond after that.”

He was saying that Seol Poong’s confrontation had been intentional.

Seol Poong had already explained this to his companions, but for the others, it was new information. They all widened their eyes, focusing intently on Sunwoo Jin.

“The worst-case scenario I considered was if he took no action. That would mean he was a man big enough to overlook such provocations. If he truly were that kind of man, Seol Poong would have had to compete fairly with him—and would naturally be at a disadvantage against someone with such a solid foundation.”

“Hmmm.”

Dong Chae-won sighed again.

When you really think about it, no matter how much the Yangju Dong family bolstered him, it was nearly impossible for Seolpung to surpass him head-on.

His influence within the Sawang Alliance was already overwhelmingly dominant.

So, if he had chosen not to retaliate against Seolpung and simply competed fairly, that would have been the greatest threat to Seolpung. Even Dong Chaewon had to nod in agreement at that.

She also realized that the fact that Gwe Jeonggi didn’t take that route and instead made a move against Seolpung wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

Sun Woojin continued.

“The next tricky scenario would have been if he had decided to kill Brother Seolpung by any means necessary. If that had happened, we would have had to confront him with full force on his home turf, which would have been extremely risky for us. Honestly, the best chance he had to deal with Brother Seolpung was when we crossed the Yangtze River. Had he struck then, it would have been very difficult for us. That’s why I hurried to cross it myself. But as you know, he didn’t.”

At that, Dong Chaewon frowned slightly and countered.

“But as you know, the Sawang heirs can’t openly target each other within Jiangsu Province. So maybe he simply couldn’t act directly?”

Sun Woojin responded with a strangely cold smile.

“If I were an heir of the Sawang and had decided to use any means necessary, I would have killed all the other heirs. All of them. On the same day.”

Dong Chaewon’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-what did you say?!”

Sun Woojin smiled bitterly and went on.

“If there were no other heirs left, there’d be no need to compete, right?”

“B-but that’s…”

“Isn’t that exactly how the current Sawang, Gwe Galhyeon, became the Sawang? So he couldn’t punish the last remaining heir by those means.”

Dong Chaewon swallowed hard.

She realized that the young man before her was far more terrifying than he appeared.

At the same time, she had to admit he was right.

Muttering under her breath, she said, “You really are a frightening person.”

Sun Woojin softened his smile.

“Well, that’s only if you decide to use any means necessary. If you’re determined to act, that’s what you have to do. But the problem is, Gwe Jeonggi didn’t do that. Though he couldn’t hold back and made a move, he tried to hide his involvement by delegating the task to someone else. Just as I hoped.”

He looked toward Seolpung and continued.

“Thanks to that, Brother Seolpung gained exactly what he needed most from this incident: a solid foundation and reputation within the Sawang Alliance. It was truly a blessing.”

“Hmm.”

Dong Chaewon realized the truth in his words.

Originally, the former head of the Dong family, Dong Jungseo, would never have supported Seolpung.

But because Gwe Jeonggi moved him, Seolpung ended up receiving the backing of the Yangju Dong family—and even managed to spread word of it throughout the Sawang Alliance.

The added prestige of having slain the Bloodwind Blade, which even Dong Jungseo couldn’t handle, was just a bonus.

At this point, it almost seemed like Gwe Jeonggi had deliberately strengthened Seolpung’s position.

A price paid for his half-hearted attempt.

Dong Chaewon was momentarily lost in thought, then stammered as she asked, “B-but can we really be sure that his future attacks can be stopped without the Iceblood Corps?”

Sun Woojin smiled gently.

“Yes, I’m certain. Because I know what kind of person he is, I also know what choices he will make. He’ll continue to use others to target us, keeping his involvement hidden. And I guarantee that won’t be enough to harm us.”

Dong Chaewon studied Sun Woojin’s calm, confident demeanor for a moment.

Then she sighed.

“I understand that you’re a formidable person. But isn’t saying ‘never’ a bit arrogant?”

Sun Woojin smiled again.

“Lady Noma, how much force do you think is needed to face two Heavenly Thirty-Six Stars and three ultra-elite masters?”

…What? Two Heavenly Thirty-Six Stars?

Dong Chaewon’s eyes widened once more.

She didn’t need to be told who he meant.

She glanced between Seolpung and Sun Woojin, then suddenly realized she’d been blinded by their youth and hadn’t seen their true nature.

She sighed.

“Two Heavenly Thirty-Six Stars and three ultra-elite masters… That’s impossible with just the Dong family’s forces. And no matter how large Gwe Jeonggi’s power is, it won’t be easy.”

That was the truth.

If Gwe Jeonggi truly wanted to eliminate Seolpung, he’d have to commit all his strength.

And even then, there was only a fifty-fifty chance—it wasn’t guaranteed.

Dong Chaewon now understood why Sun Woojin said it was useless for Gwe Jeonggi to clumsily target Seolpung through others.

She felt a twinge of regret.

“So… the Iceblood Corps wouldn’t have been much help after all. They’d only have slowed things down.”

Sun Woojin grinned and said to her,

“That’s why, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask Lady Noma for a favor on Brother’s behalf.”

“Huh? A favor from me?”

Dong Chaewon asked, puzzled.

Now that she knew the strength of Seolpung’s group, she couldn’t imagine how the Dong family could help.

Sun Woojin’s expression turned mischievous, like a playful troublemaker, as he began to explain.

As she listened, Dong Chaewon’s expression shifted several times—first anger, then excitement, and finally a grin much like Sun Woojin’s.

A look that said they were about to get into some serious mischief.

She said to him,

“That sounds very tempting. If it’s something like that, I can’t just stand by for the Sawang Alliance’s sake. Leave it to me. I won’t let you down, Sun Woojin.”

Hearing that, Sun Woojin bowed respectfully and replied in kind.