The Ruler of Darkness

“Who is that guard, anyway?”

“I think he’s accompanying the Grand young master, right?”

“Escort? A security guard?”

The conversations between the subordinates of 4th Young Master could be heard, but Life-Stealing Devil Sword paid them no heed.

He was solely focused on the bustling activities in the House of Compassion, watching them with deep eyes.

‘House of Compassion…’

A facility funded by the Grand young master himself.

Using the shrines of the Medicine Fairy scattered throughout Luoyang, they distribute food for free to the poor and offer medical treatment.

“Heh heh, now do you understand the greatness of our lord?”

The triplets, who were maids, teased him as they spoke.

“…What does Wongak Pavilion have to do with this?”

At this, the maids grumbled.

“The budget for all these operations comes from the Inner Chamber.”

“Inner Chamber is the department responsible for serving the head of the family and his direct descendants.”

“But since our lord doesn’t avail himself of their services, he takes the maximum budget he can from Wongak Pavilion and uses it all here.”

“Heh heh. Are you surprised that we, mere maids, know about the financial flow of Inner Chamber?”

“…Actually, we only found out recently while assisting our chief maid with her tasks.”

“Hey…! There was no need to say that.”

He stroked his beard.

‘…So that’s why.’

The hostility he had felt when he went to look for the Inner Chamber’s steward for proper attire for Jung Ah.

Even if they were dealing with Yeon So-Hyeon, who is known as the swordless one, their attitude had many incomprehensible aspects.

But now, it all made sense.

Yeon So-Hyeon was almost entirely utilizing the budget allocated by Luoyang Sword House for the welfare of the commoners, not for himself.

“What an extraordinary man…”

He thought of Yeon So-Hyeon’s usual attire and food.

Clothes fit only for commoners and meals that were only abundant in quantity.

Most of what he consumed was handled within Wongak Pavilion, and the rest were gifts.

If there were any luxuries, it would only be the numerous books that he avidly collected.

He thought of the commoners who had touched Yeon So-Hyeon’s hands and feet and had knelt to the hem of his garments.

‘Is this what they mean by a different ‘vessel’?’

Now, thinking of that boy reminded him more and more of the mountain-like figure of his lord,

And this was gradually becoming a familiar thought for him.

* * *

Sitting next to the 4th Young Master, Yeon So-Hyeon was listening to the current situation from a white-haired old physician and an elderly woman leaning on a cane.

“As you’ve probably seen in the report, the situation is good. Not only in this ‘Hodu Village’, but also in other slums.”

The old physician was in charge of the charity house in Hodu Village.

Yeon So-Hyeon nodded.

“It must be due to the special demand from the Dragon and Phoenix Conference.”

“That’s right. Thanks to that, the number of injured people has increased so much that our backs are about to break.”

He laughed heartily.

An elderly woman interjected from the side.

She was a shaman of the Fairy Order, responsible for the local shrine in Hodu Village.

“It’s still better than the days when people were dying of hunger. Back then, cleaning up emaciated corpses from the streets was part of our daily work.”

The expressions of the scholars standing behind them worsened.

“And the collapse of the Black Bone Faction has also been quite helpful.”

The elderly woman spoke to Yeon So-Hyeon.

“With the closure of the human meat factories they operated, the number of people missing for unknown reasons has also decreased.”

“And the number of parents selling their children has also decreased. The number of children on the streets has increased.”

The scholars looked increasingly pale.

Yeon So-Hyeon clicked his tongue.

“That’s only going to be a temporary phenomenon. With more money in their pockets due to the special demand, people will seek more meat.”

“Certainly, shops that deal in human meat tend to be on the cheaper side.”

“I’ve heard that other organizations in the dark district are scrambling to open human meat factories. They’ve smelled money.”

“We are continually strengthening religious education for parents visiting the charity house. We teach them that if they sell their children, they won’t receive salvation from Medicine Fairy.”

“But it’s a fact that things are getting better compared to the days when the families would boil and eat their dead children.”

Several scholars with weak stomachs rushed out.

The 4th Young Master blushed with embarrassment.

“Is there anything else to suggest?”

Yeon So-Hyeon asked cautiously, and the old physician spoke up.

“There are still too many slums that we can’t reach. But the support we can provide is stagnating…”

Despite the fatigue visibly clinging to his face, the old physician was still worried about the other slums.

Yeon So-Hyeon nodded.

“Don’t worry about that. Going forward, things will only increase, not decrease.”

At his words, the expressions of the old physician and the elderly woman brightened.

But they never asked for more detailed stories.

To them, Yeon So-Hyeon was an object of faith, an absolute existence.

“If it is meant to be that way, so it shall be.”

“Ah, there seems to be a peculiar incident happening continuously,” the elder spoke.

At the elder’s words, Yeon So-Hyeon nodded his head.

“I saw it in the regular reports. There’s a righteous thief helping the poor?”

“Yes. Our Hodu Village’s charity also received wealth left by him.”

“Did you handle it carefully?”

The physician smiled.

“Of course. Stolen goods can be traced, after all. We’ve distributed it to several experts connected to the charity.”

“All of them are faithful devotees, so you don’t have to worry.”

The 4th Young Master, who had been silently listening, clicked his tongue.

They were incomparably competent.

“What about the heretical sects?”

At this question, the ears in the room perked up.

“…About that.”

The elder was conscious of his surroundings.

Yeon So-Hyeon patted the shoulder of the 4th Young Master who had been quietly sitting and listening.

“My younger sibling is not only cute but also astute, so you don’t need to worry about this information leaking.”

At his words, the 4th Young Master’s nose perked up.

Seeing him, the elder cautiously spoke.

“We are preventing the infiltration of heretical sects through our doctrine of the Medicinal Fairy, but they still clearly exist.”

“When people with weak hearts experience shocking events, they tend to be swayed by more radical doctrines).”

“We are trying to further refine and strengthen our doctrine…”

“I’ll help with that.”

Surprise appeared on the faces of those around them at this dialogue.

Contrary to their common understanding, the Immortal Fairy Teaching was not a religious group simply based on a faith for blessings.

‘Is big brother saying that he designed the Medicine Fairy doctrine to serve as a dam against the heretical sects?!’

Behind that doctrine was a meticulous design to prevent the moral degradation of the people and the erosion of the capital city by radical religions.

‘Is this the caliber of my elder brother?’

The 4th Young Master looked at him with trembling eyes, recognizing that he could never catch up to such a being.

“We will discuss the other matters in writing…”

Yeon So-Hyeon looked at his younger brother.

The 4th Young Master pulled himself together.

It seemed his elder brother was about to get to the point.

“If it is necessary to relocate all the residents of Hodu Village, would it be possible to do so without unnecessary bloodshed?”

All eyes were focused.

Though there had been a series of surprises, wasn’t this the reason they had all come here?

Ignoring the pouring gazes calmly, the two elders who were deeply engrossed in thought whispered a few opinions to each other and then nodded their heads.

“It is possible.”

Exclamations burst out from around them.

“Of course, it is possible to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but there will inevitably be a minor bloodshed.”

“Still, the residents of Hodu Village are devout and generally gentle.”

Yeon So-Hyeon extended a folded piece of paper.

“Even with this amount?”

That amount was the limit that the 4th Young Master’s side could offer.

The elders unfolded the paper and nodded.

“It is a generous proposal. With this amount, even if we combine it with the operating funds of the Hodu Village branch, it is a sufficient amount.”

The scholars raised cheers.

They hugged each other, patted each other on the back, and even jumped with joy.

The 4th Young Master’s maids also freely exchanged smiles, clapping hands together in delight.

Yeon So-Hyeon smiled at their behavior.

His younger brother’s people were fundamentally cheerful, unpretentious, and honest.

Jung-ah, who also had a courageous spirit, seemed to feel the same way, smiling warmly at them.

Amongst their cheers, Yeon So-Hyeon spoke to the two elders.

“I will present several scenarios later, plan and practice accordingly. Make sure there are no mistakes.”

“Yes, as you have instructed.”

The 4th Young Master hastily interjected at this point.

“Big brother! We are still in the planning phase.”

They had not yet even started purchasing the land in earnest, let alone gather all the investment funds.

Yeon So-Hyeon smiled at him.

“Do not worry. As long as I am involved, the plan will be realized, and success is guaranteed.”

“’Elder brother…”

The 4th Young Master, his face flushed red, looked at Yeon So-Hyeon with twinkling eyes.

Just then, the physician tapped his own knee.

“Ah! So that’s why!”

Yeon So-Hyeon, who had been embracing his rushing younger sibling, asked,

“What do you mean?”

The elderly woman who made eye contact with the physician nodded her head.

“For the past few days, low-level bandits of the ‘Black Path’ whom we’ve never seen around here, have been acting recklessly.”

“Maybe the current landowners are worried that their dealings with the Sword House might fall through…”

Yeon So-Hyeon picked up the sentence.

“They’re taking preemptive action to drive the villagers away?”

The two elders expressed their concerns.

“We only thought that the new organizations that emerged after ‘Black Bone Faction’ were marking their territories.”

“If that’s the case, their recklessness is likely to intensify from now on.”

At that moment, the 4th Young Master, who had been sitting on Yeon So-Hyeon’s lap, chimed in.

“Elders, you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

***

In a wealthy house in Luoyang.

Upon hearing that someone from the Luoyang Sword House had arrived, he had hurriedly called the others who, like him, held the lands of Hodu Village.

And now, they were all trembling in front of that person from the Luoyang Sword House.

Some had even wet themselves.

“….”

The man didn’t say a word.

He simply kept throwing and catching a flying knife in his hand.

Only the severed heads of the ‘Black Path’ bandits that the landlords had employed were rolling around the room.

The heads had a stupid expression, unaware of what they had died from.

And those severed heads were still bleeding.

“….”

The flying knife he threw and caught had an ominously intense blue glow.

The sharp, indescribable smell made the landlords tremble even more.

One could infer from the flying knife alone why all the heads had dark purple complexions and why the flowing blood had an odd color.

The man’s gaze was as fierce and sharp as that of a poisonous snake, and even his breathing felt cold.

“….”

He neither threw nor caught any moves. 

There was no display of that common energy or killing intent that martial artists typically emit.

Rather, he just watched them, like a predator silently targeting its prey in the dark.

The gaze of the landlord focused on the man’s nape.

Over the martial attire of the Luoyang Sword House, a sinister snake tattoo extended its head, flicking its tongue.

“That is…?!”

Anyone with even a basic knowledge of the martial clans would recognize the tattoo.

“Si-Sichuan Tang Clan’s…!”

Today, in the suffocating silence, they were learning a lesson they would never forget.

* * *

Yeon So-Hyeon affectionately patted his younger sibling’s head.

“Aigoo, you truly are my sibling. How can you be so exceptional?”

The 4th Young Master snuggled even closer into his older brother’s arms.

“Please praise me more, big brother!”

The smile that filled his youthful face was incomparably pure.

Beneath the skin that radiated innocent purity, flowed blood that emitted a slightly acrid smell.

It was the clear trace of blood from a clan that had long proclaimed themselves to be the rulers of Sichuan.

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