Chapter 30

• The Arrow Has Already Left the Bow

A family and the entire foundation of its business were placed in the midst of a cruel vortex of fate, demanding an answer: annihilation or revival? All or nothing?

Bureau Chief Jang U-yang, the head of a family. In his mind, the one demanding he choose between annihilation and revival—though he didn't say it directly, the overwhelming and destructive atmosphere blooming from his entire being was more than enough to indirectly demand a choice—was a man whose weight in the Jianghu was as certain as his power to utterly destroy Jang U-yang's family business. Jang U-yang was fully aware of this.

The anecdote of him annihilating three bandit fortresses in a single night for the simple reason that they had blocked his path was all too famous. Originally, it was said that only one bandit fortress had blocked Yeomdo's path at the time. But after Yeomdo completely devastated that one fortress, he declared his anger was not yet sated and proceeded to wipe out two adjacent fortresses on a neighboring mountain all at once. The other two fortresses had to walk the path of ruin under Yeomdo's merciless blade for the simple and absurd reason that they were merely nearby—in other words, they were the first victim's neighbors.

The fate of the Jungyang Escort Bureau was no different now. Therefore, Jang U-yang had to do something immediately. This was not a personal choice but a crucial one on which the life and death of the organization called the Jungyang Escort Bureau, and the lives of its 300-plus members, depended. But Jang U-yang was so crushed by the immense weight of that choice that he couldn't even think of moving properly.

At that moment, as if they had read Jang U-yang's thoughts, his son Jang U-gang and Deputy Chief Escort Deung Yeo-ho shot up from their seats and cautiously approached Yeomdo's side. Of course, the two of them did not harbor even a speck of a thought of resolving the situation by beating Yeomdo down. Jang U-gang had no desire, not even in his dreams, to test the sharp edge and profundity of the Qingcheng Sword, which he had honed while breathing the clear air high and deep in the Qingcheng Sect, against this terrifying man. In this regard, Flickering Flame Spear Deung Yeo-ho was in the same boat.

The one and only goal of the two men, who were forcing out their courage to walk towards Yeomdo, was the desperate and simple wish of how to calm the fiery, violent man's anger and escape this life-or-death crisis.

'We'll do anything, just please spare our lives! We will be eternally grateful for your grace! Please, just let us live!'

This would probably be the best expression of their current feelings. To do that, a conversation between them was essential. Even as they walked, Jang U-gang and Deung Yeo-ho continued a silent battle through glances and eye signals over who would speak to this perilous man first. The exchange of glances between the two, in its intensity and speed, was reminiscent of an exchange of blows between top masters. This fierce mutual eye movement and gaze exchange between them was a fight to determine the rat who would bell the cat—that is, the first sacrifice—making it all the more desperate and intense.

Jang U-gang, of course, wished that Deung Yeo-ho would speak first. But his pride was too wounded to clearly convey that intention to Deung Yeo-ho. He didn't want to show his weak side to Deung Yeo-ho, though it wasn't worse than death, he still hated the idea. Yet, to step forward himself was also not something he was keen on. Life was a precious and valuable gift from the heavens, and it should be handled with care and cherished.

This feeling was the same for Deung Yeo-ho. He too had squeezed out his courage and was walking towards Yeomdo, but thinking about it now, he was filled with regret, wondering, 'Why did I do that?' Deung Yeo-ho was also a man who felt the preciousness of life to his very bones. The situation that made it even harder for him was that he couldn't tell the young master, Jang U-gang, to speak first. He was the successor who would inherit the Jungyang Escort Bureau. No matter how small his vessel or how dull the edge of his sword, no matter how much the sharpness of his blade had fallen, that was an unchangeable fact.

As a subordinate, he couldn't just say, "I don't want to, so you go to that dangerous object and beg for forgiveness for doing wrong." Thus, the two were now in a very typical, standard, and also extremely textbook case of a maddening and frustrating situation.

Still, as befitting the successor who would lead the escort bureau, Jang U-gang took the lead. He must have gone through immense mental conflict to do this. Still, his pride as a direct disciple of the prestigious orthodox sect, the great Qingcheng Sect, helped his decision a lot. Jang U-gang respectfully, and barely, made a fist-and-palm salute and parted his slightly trembling lips.

"I am Jang U-gang, the Qingcheng Sword, the young master of the great, invincible, strongest, and peerless escort bureau in all of Sichuan, the Jungyang Escort Bureau. Have you heard our name? Even a nameless warrior must have heard it at least once. The fame of our great Jungyang Escort Bureau, which is the talk of the Jianghu these days, hahaha!"

"?"

Yeomdo's stomach churned once more.

Yeomdo's already distorted face crumpled once more with a fierce scowl. There was no martial artist in this Jianghu who could remain still after hearing such loud, arrogant, "The heavens are how high, the earth is how wide, I don't know, do you?" type of talk. Especially for the fiery-tempered Yeomdo, there was no need for a second thought.

To think he would spew words filled with the intention of 'I'm in a mood to die as quickly as possible, so please make me die quickly,' it was to the point where one had to wonder, 'Has Jang U-gang become so nervous that his head has completely snapped and he's lost all fear?' And he continued to speak, not knowing he was about to die.

"Our greaaat Jungyang Escort Bureau wishes to stay here today, but there aren't enough seats. But, we all need to sit down and eat comfortably. So what can be done? Well, what do you mean what can be done! We have to make room. How do we make room? Naturally, how about you give up your seat and quietly leave this inn? Don't you think that's a good idea? But why am I saying this to you when there are all these other people? Ah, that's obviously because you look the easiest to push around. What, are you asking if I'm looking down on you? Is the person who looks down on someone bad? The one who acts in a way that makes them look that way is the bad one. Isn't that right? So you understand now. Then how about you just vacate your seat now?"

The words, truly, every single syllable was like flowing water, utterly condescending... But this must be what they call a contradiction between words and actions. With their backs bent so low that their sweat-soaked backs were clearly visible, their heads bowed with sweat dripping down, and their sweat-slicked hands rubbing together earnestly, words that could never come out of the mouths of these two people kept digging into Yeomdo's ears, turning his stomach inside out.

It was a good thing that Yeomdo, in this bizarre and absurd situation of contradictory words and actions, tilted his head and was lost in thought for a moment; if the words and actions had matched, the two would have already become guests of the next world with a single slash. What on earth was going on? Of course, if the terrified and groveling Jang U-gang and Deung Yeo-ho were still in their right minds, they would never have uttered words so filled with a disregard for life.

There was no need to dig a grave that was already dug even deeper just because it was shallow. Jang U-gang and Deung Yeo-ho had never said such things. But that's what Yeomdo clearly heard. It wasn't that Yeomdo's ears were faulty either. So what was going on? It was a truly strange affair. The words that Jang U-gang actually said, with a face full of apology, not knowing where to put himself, were:

"Oh, t-today... to meet the great hero of the Jianghu, the giant Yeomdo, is truly the glory of three lifetimes. Th-this unworthy one is Jang U-gang, a nameless sword of Qingcheng, a junior of the martial world, and the young master of a small, nameless escort bureau in S-Sichuan, the J-Jungyang Escort Bureau. T-today, for this unworthy one to meet the great senior, the flame of crimson, Yeomdo, whose name shines as brilliantly as the sun in the martial world, whom I have admired endlessly... is an infinite honor for our family. For me to greet the great senior Yeomdo like this is a natural duty as a junior of the martial world, and also... also, it seems a great m-misunderstanding has occurred between you, senior, and our Jungyang Escort Bureau, so we have come to bow our heads to you, great senior, to a-apologize and ask you to clear up the misunderstanding. Our Jungyang Escort Bureau has never, not even in our dreams, harbored any intention of committing a disrespectful or irreverent act towards the great hero Gwak, whom we admire endlessly. Th-this whole thing was all an a-accident, yes, an accident. Therefore, please forgive us, the unworthy, with a heart as vast as the sea!"

He had said, bowing his head so pathetically and obsequiously. He had thrown away all his pride, not leaving even a speck the size of dirt under a toenail, and begged and begged. But how was it that from one to ten, a completely opposite content was delivered to Yeomdo's ears? The truth is this.

Let's say there are A, B, and C. And let's assume A, B, and C are martial arts masters. Under the above assumption, let's say A and B are having a conversation. At this time, A said a word of praise to B. It was a very wonderful, cool, and good word. In other words, it was a word that could please the other person. But at the same time, what if C used a clever voice transmission (a clever and miraculous voice transmission where the voice is modulated to sound like A's voice, and the listener cannot perceive it as a voice transmission) to simultaneously curse at B?

Naturally, B would not hear a single word of A's praise and would only hear a barrage of curses, and naturally, B would think that A had cursed him out. And then, A and B would get into a huge fight.

Voice transmission is a high-level technique that sends sound waves or voice imbued with internal energy to a specific target, using internal energy to traverse the air and deliver the sound directly into the other person's ear. If a voice transmission and a normal spoken voice reach a person's ear at the same time, that person will not hear the sound carried by the air and will only hear the voice transmission carried by internal energy. Because voice transmission is a technique that uses internal energy to directly vibrate the opponent's eardrum to deliver sound, a kind of invisible barrier of ki is formed inside the ear by that internal energy, and the spoken voice in the air is blocked by this invisible ki barrier, and only the voice transmission is delivered. It is, literally, a ki-blocking affair.

The incident that just happened between Yeomdo and Jang U-gang was the exact same situation as the example above. If Jang U-gang was A, then Yeomdo could be called B. Then, who would be C, the culprit who caused A and B to fight? Of course, without even asking, C is none other than Bi Ryu-yeon. Bi Ryu-yeon had once again toyed with Yeomdo and Jang U-gang using a clever, and in some ways, even despicable, voice transmission technique.

The first time was, of course, the Jungyang Escort Bureau's flag that flew from somewhere and embedded itself in the table of Yeomdo, who was enjoying his meal. And this incident was also an act that pushed the Jungyang Escort Bureau deeper, much deeper, into the pit of ruin. With Bi Ryu-yeon's light prank, Jang U-gang and the Jungyang Escort Bureau he belonged to were now in a life-threatening crisis. All for the simple reason that Jang U-gang was arrogant...

Yeomdo, unaware of Bi Ryu-yeon's trickery, let out a bitter and rough sneer mixed with rage towards Jang U-gang, no, towards the entire Jungyang Escort Bureau. His face was now as red as it could get, looking like a red-hot iron sword heated in a furnace.

"Kekekek, Jungyang Escort Bureau? I've heard the name a little lately, but how dare a mere escort bureau like that dare to get on my, Yeomdo's, bad side? You're telling me to get lost because there aren't enough seats in this inn? The great Jungyang Escort Bureau doesn't even give a damn about someone like me, Yeomdo? Your liver has completely left your body. Is your life so light? Kekekek, and you expect to be safe after this? And you expect to keep your lives after this! HAH!"

With a roar that echoed thunderously throughout the inn, an immense pressure erupted from Yeomdo. It was so fierce and oppressive that the two men standing right in front of Yeomdo almost lost consciousness and fell to their knees.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Great Hero Gwak! W-we..."

Jang U-gang stuttered in utter shock at Yeomdo's terrifying reaction. He couldn't understand the words Yeomdo was spewing at all. Jang U-gang could barely stand on his trembling legs.

"H-how could we d-dare say anything to get on the bad side of the great hero Gwak Yeong-hui, the number one saber master of the Jianghu."

The face of Deung Yeo-ho, who had been watching the two with an expression that clearly showed his extreme anxiety, instantly turned deathly pale.

"Y-Young Master, no!"

Deung Yeo-ho's voice was almost a scream. At Deung Yeo-ho's scream, Jang U-gang also had a thought of 'oops'. But the arrow had already left the bow. Jang U-gang's final slip of the tongue had completely snatched away any room for deliberation or reconsideration that Yeomdo might have had, if he even had any to begin with.

---

• The Name of the Taboo

In front of the blade that holds the flame,
Never utter his three-character name.
Lest the flames of wrath
Turn your body to ash.

This is a story about one taboo that circulates in the martial world of Jianghu. According to the unwritten rule that is talked about in the Jianghu, there is one absolute rule, a taboo that must not be broken, in front of Yeomdo, his name, and his saber. The taboo that must be absolutely observed was that one must never utter his three-character real name in front of him.

To this day, an uncountable number of people, whether intentionally or by mistake(?), have in any case broken this tabooed unwritten rule and have had to walk the path of no return, or have had to suffer the tragic fate of living the rest of their lives as cripples. The number of people who met their end for saying a name wrong was countless.

Yeomdo! He, who possessed a formidable martial might and a high and outstanding martial fame that was the envy of all saber masters who walked the Jianghu with a saber in hand, also had one very serious inferiority complex. It was an infinite and eternal inferiority complex about his three-character name.

Yeong-hui!

It was a name given to him by his grateful parents with the meaning of becoming a person with a glorious and hopeful future. And now, as his name suggested, he was living while enjoying the greatest glory in the martial world. But unfortunately, the lingering sound that followed the name reminded one of a woman's name. It was precisely that sound and feeling that was the problem.

"How can a real man use a name that sounds like a woman's name? I'd rather die!"

That was the thought of Yeomdo, Gwak Yeong-hui. He hated his own name, which sounded like a woman's appellation, so much. But the core of the problem, and the misfortune of the Jianghu, was that just because he hated it, he couldn't carelessly change the name his parents had given him.

If he could have changed his name, Yeomdo would have changed it dozens of times over. But since he couldn't, it was a situation that could only make his anger explode. So he established one taboo. He set a taboo so that no one could call him by his three-character name in front of him. If this taboo was broken, he did not hesitate to take immediate action to ensure a terrible result followed. Because of this, the number of people who suffered a miserable fate was enough to be compiled into a limited edition, three-volume set of the "Yeomdo Taboo Violator Punishment Registry," so what more needs to be said?

Therefore, there was no way Jang U-gang could be fine after breaking the absolute taboo set by the fiery-tempered Yeomdo. If he were fine, how could the saying "Yeomdo's Wrathful Extreme Flame" (which roughly means, when Yeomdo gets really mad, he burns everything around him to a crisp) have circulated?

BOOM!

It's not clear exactly when, but the moment his three-character name came out into the world as words, Yeomdo shot up from his seat and was planting his right foot on the floorboards right in front of Jang U-gang. With an indescribably powerful stomp, the sturdy floorboards of Hwaunru shattered and rose up, sending fragments flying in all directions. With a single powerful stomp and a simultaneously thrust-out, reddened right hand, he struck Jang U-gang's chest, creating a fierce and sharp sound of tearing air. Of course, the power of his Fire Spirit Divine Art contained within was terrifying. If hit, he would not have escaped instant death.

But Jang U-gang was no scarecrow either. As if to prove that the Qingcheng Sword ki he had honed while facing the clear winds at the top of the Qingcheng Sect was not for nothing, he managed to display a momentary reflex and attempt to struggle to avoid Yeomdo's palm strike. That is, he momentarily gave a rotational force to the right, then twisted backward to pull his body away. But the fact that he avoided a direct hit was in itself praiseworthy and admirable. He was hit squarely, unable to avoid even half of Yeomdo's Crimson Flame Palm.

THUD!

Jang U-gang's body lurched, and with a sound like a bursting drum, he flew about 6 meters into the wall behind him and was embedded in it. A wave-like pattern of cracks was drawn on the wall, centered on the deeply embedded Jang U-gang. He had barely managed to escape death with his initial evasive maneuver. However, the fact that he was seriously injured remained unchanged. But Yeomdo's thoughts were different. Displeased that he had not been able to end the life of the insolent ruffian Jang U-gang with a single palm strike, Yeomdo Gwak Yeong-hui raised his right hand towards the ceiling.

It was an attitude of delivering the final blow to surely finish him off. Just as the Fire Spirit Ki was circulating through Yeomdo's entire body's ki meridians, gathering and condensing in Yeomdo's right hand, about to sublimate into a destructive force, there were two streaks of silver light that crossed the air in an instant.

Swiiissssh!

With a sharp sound of tearing air, these two streaks of silver light, flying with a chilling sharpness, forced Yeomdo to withdraw his right hand and evade. In truth, he had dodged in surprise after they had already passed. The two silver streaks had not hit his body, but had passed by him precariously, as if just making a threatening demonstration.

Thus, the two streaks of silver light instantly neutralized Yeomdo's move and circled back through the air, being sucked into a person's hand. It was probably the one who had drawn the two silver spirals on the canvas named 'empty air'. In his hand were two round iron rings that had just been retrieved.

The dust that had been cloudily covering the inside of the inn, a result of the Hwaunru's floorboards being shattered by Yeomdo's stomp, slowly settled, and the outline of its owner became clear.

"Who are you?"

Yeomdo's red-glowing pupils stared intently at the one who had drawn the thin and beautiful pattern of a silver spiral on the transparent canvas named 'empty air'. The craftsmanship of that silver spiral had faithfully served the role of obstructing the action he was about to take, so Yeomdo's eyes contained a slight puzzlement and an overflowing amount of rage.

Finally, the outline of the culprit became clear, and his red eyes, which were staring at the opponent as if to catch them alive and chew them, boil them, stir-fry them, or deep-fry them, began to shine even more brightly. But amidst the vortex of piercing killing intent and rage, a subtle puzzlement flickered.