The Ruler of Darkness

North Mang Mountain, Gong family residence, training field.

The sky was darkening, and the stars twinkled brightly.

Torches and bonfires were placed throughout the training field, illuminating the surroundings.

Perhaps it was for the guests who had come at the invitation of the family, for the lodgers staying at the residence, or for the grandson practicing martial arts.

The training field of the Gong family residence was on par with that of the Luoyang Sword House.

Rather, compared to the training field of the Luoyang Sword House, which emphasized only practical aspects, it was much more luxurious and exuded the unique elegance of the residence, befitting one of the Imperial Sixteen Families.

“Hmm. The eldest young master of the Luoyang Sword House, known as the ‘Swordless One’?”

At the question of his fellow chivalrous warrior, Gong Damwoong, the grandson of Gong Ryang, the owner of this residence, slowly nodded.

“That’s right. He suddenly proposed a match.”

At that answer, the woman with a long sword on her back shook her head.

“I have no idea what that young master is thinking. Could there be a separate meaning behind his words?”

Gong Damwoong let out a small sigh.

“I’ve heard from my grandfather several times about the depth of his schemes, but…”

They were perplexed by the match that the young master of the Luoyang Sword House, known as the Swordless One, had proposed to Gong Damwoong.

If they were ordinary youths, they might have laughed at the Swordless One’s eccentricity or thought of it as an opportunity to humiliate him.

However, they were chivalrous warriors known as the ‘Four Heroes of the Yellow Lake,’ with a reputation in Luoyang and the Hanam Province.

They had gathered at Gong Damwoong’s residence as usual for an after-party but were bewildered by the sudden situation.

Although not as much as Gong Damwoong, the heir of one of the Sixteen Families, each of them was from a prestigious family in Luoyang and could not take this situation lightly.

“…This is something Brother Gong should have refused on the spot in the first place.”

Gong Damwoong scratched the back of his head.

“At that moment, the blood rushed to my head and…”

As everyone’s blaming gazes focused on him, Gong Damwoong laughed heartily.

“Well, that young master must have some confidence to propose a match with this Gong Damwoong, right?”

He rotated his shoulders.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get bruised. What could go wrong? Hahaha.”

Seeing Gong Damwoong’s usual behavior, the other three sighed and shook their heads.

However, as usual, Gong Damwoong’s seemingly simple words became a suitable answer in a complicated situation.

“…There’s no other choice. You should try not to injure him as much as possible.”

“I’ve heard rumors that he is looked down upon even in the Sword House, but rumors are just rumors.”

“If he causes any trouble, from now on, we’ll claim that we were originally the Three Heroes of the Yellow Lake, not the Four Heroes.”

At the last person’s joke, they all laughed with a much lighter heart.

“Oh my. There he comes.”

They quickly erased the smiles from their faces and looked towards the entrance of the training field.

Gong Ryang and Yeon So-hyeon, having finished their necessary conversation, were approaching.

Gong Damwoong’s companions hurriedly bowed towards Gong Ryang, who appeared seated in a chair pushed by servants.

“Greetings to the elder of the Gong family…”

“Enough.”

Gong Ryang waved his hand, cutting off their salutations.

“The owner of this residence is Gong Ryang, but the guest of honor is the young master of the Sword House. The young master present here is busy with important matters. Be grateful that he personally took time out of his busy schedule to impart his teachings.”

As the giant of the imperial capital’s political circle, Gong Ryang, addressed the young master using honorifics, the expressions of the companions turned even more unpleasant.

“….”

Gong Damwoong, who had clearly dragged his companions into a troublesome matter, swallowed a sigh inwardly and introduced himself to the young master.

It was a common courtesy before a match.

“I am embarrassed to say that I am known as ‘Gong Damwoong the Giant’ among my fellow warriors in the martial world. By chance, I had the opportunity to learn the Vajrapani Arhat Skill of Shaolin…”

“Let’s skip the formalities.”

Yeon So-hyeon cut off his introduction.

“As you’ve heard, I am a busy person. Don’t make me waste time.”

“…!”

What arrogant words, talking while clasping his hands behind his back.

For a moment, Gong Damwoong, who had the urge to charge at Yeon So-hyeon, engraved the character for patience in his heart for the sake of his companions.

“Who will make the first move…?”

“You can have it.”

The young master, full of flaws, looked down on them as if he were the grandmaster of a martial arts sect, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Gong Damwoong’s companions took another look at Yeon So-hyeon’s appearance, just in case, due to his overly confident attitude.

However, there was not a trace of martial arts training to be seen in him.

“…I understand. Then.”

Without declining, Gong Damwoong immediately took a deep step and stretched out his cauldron lid-like hand.

Despite his large build, his speed was such that an ordinary person would not be able to react properly.

He intended to grab the young master’s neck and end it with a simple twist.

At that moment, his vision flashed.

“…Urgh?!”

What had happened?

‘What? What’s going on…?’

Gong Damwoong felt as if his mind had gone blank the moment his vision flashed.

“…?!”

Everyone watching the scene involuntarily let out exclamations mixed with surprise.

As Gong Damwoong deeply closed the distance, the young master’s body moved half a step back like a ghost and rotated once.

With that rotation, the young master’s spinning kick had turned Gong Damwoong’s jaw.

That spinning kick contained no immense power or unprecedented internal energy.

It was merely a perfect counterstrike, concealing the substantial within the insubstantial, utilizing the opponent’s force and momentum.

The move was so exquisite that to the onlookers, it seemed as if the young master’s heel had merely grazed Gong Damwoong’s jaw.

“Uh, umm?!”

As his senses gradually returned, Gong Damwoong, realizing that he was kneeling, raised his head and tried to stand up from his position.

However…

“Uh, ugh…?!”

Yeon So-hyeon, who had approached at some point with his hands clasped behind his back, was pressing down on his enormous head with one hand.

Yeon So-hyeon’s low voice flowed into his ear.

“Having quit the official position filled with filthy and vulgar individuals, were you now trying to become a righteous chivalrous warrior?”

“Uuuugh…!”

He wanted to refute, but it felt as if his neck would snap at any moment.

“I don’t need to hear your story directly to know.”

Gong Damwoong’s face was flushed red, and he was trembling with bulging veins, but the young master’s tone remained calm.

“You probably had some sense of chivalry and righteousness in your heart from a young age and tried to do something in the political world, but nothing went as you intended, leaving you frustrated.”

He tried to gather the Vajrapani Arhat Skill to somehow break free from the grasp, but it was futile.

It felt as if he had become a rock being crushed in the deepest part of Mount Tai.

“Then, in a fit of rage, you charged at your opponent, and it felt refreshing. Thanks to your grandfather and family’s reputation, you didn’t have to worry about the aftermath.”

The eldest young master’s mocking gaze met Gong Damwoong’s bloodshot eyes.

“So you thought this was your path. Recalling the thrill of throwing that high-ranking official that day. Using your innate strength and martial arts to uphold chivalry and righteousness. That’s what you must have thought.”

Yeon So-hyeon whispered into Gong Damwoong’s ear.

“Shallow fellow.”

It hit the nail on the head.

“…Aaaaah!”

Anger born from embarrassment and humiliation filled Gong Damwoong’s mind.

He tried to lift his body with the immense strength drawn from every extremity of his body and the internal energy surging like an active volcano.

The more force Gong Damwoong exerted while kneeling, the more the stone slabs beneath his knees shattered and split, gradually sinking into the ground.

But that was all.

Yeon So-hyeon’s pale hand pressing down on his head didn’t even budge.

In front of Yeon So-hyeon, who was realizing the ultimate principles of leverage and force redirection, it was merely a trivial trick.

“Because he didn’t follow the rules, is that it?”

Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes mocked Gong Damwoong’s shallow sense of reality.

“How could there be a foolish youth who merely licks the surface of legalism and follows it in the Gong family, which has the longest history in this land of the Central Plains?”

His grasp slightly tightened, and Gong Damwoong’s body began to gradually sink into the ground.

“Being second or whatnot. In the end, preparing for an exam divorced from reality and reciting memorized knowledge has been proven once again to be of no practical use.”

Yeon So-hyeon’s opposite hand flashed like lightning.

“Uuuugh….”

Gong Damwoong fell backward with a deflating sound.

Several acupuncture needles had been inserted into various acupoints, paralyzing his entire body.

“You should live with a sense of shame towards genuine chivalrous warriors and heroes.”

Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue and dusted off his hands.

“Y-Young Master…! Your words are a bit excessive!”

At first, Gong Damwoong’s companions were unable to hide their astonishment at the young master’s unfathomable realm being revealed.

However, as Yeon So-hyeon’s blatant ridicule continued, they finally couldn’t hold back and stepped forward.

“Although it is true that Brother Gong has a quick-tempered personality and was not suited for official positions, his chivalry and righteousness in his heart are genuine! Mocking even that is like smearing dirt on your own face, Young Master!”

“Brother Gong also couldn’t endure the rottenness and corruption of the decaying imperial capital any longer, despite his repeated patience!”

It was indeed an outcry befitting those who called themselves chivalrous warriors.

“Patience…?”

The image of the numerous Buddha statues he had carved and carved flashed through Yeon So-hyeon’s mind.

The moments of his past life, where he had to endure and endure, flashed by.

“Patience, you say.”

He turned around and scoffed at them with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Do you think you have even done something similar to true patience?”

“Isn’t it Young Master who is carelessly speaking of those he doesn’t properly know?!”

“Without looking, it’s obvious, and even with eyes closed, it’s clear, so what more is there to know?”

Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue.

“At first, you probably eagerly charged in whenever injustice caught your eye while peering into the lives of the common people here and there.”

The wind blew, fluttering his black hemp outer robe.

“And what was the result of your enthusiastic fist-swinging and meddling in the lives of the common people?”

Yeon So-hyeon continued his low reprimand.

“The commoners, unable to bear the responsibility of the aftermath, must have resented and pointed fingers at you. You also had no choice but to hide behind your family’s name to protect yourselves from the repercussions of your ‘chivalrous acts.'”

The reprimand flowed like water, as if he had been present at the scene.

“After a few such incidents, you, discouraged, merely continued to associate with renowned military officers and martial artists, wasting your days talking about chivalry and righteousness at drinking parties, didn’t you?”

“….”

Everyone closed their mouths and trembled.

Yeon So-hyeon’s words, stemming from conjecture, had some slight inaccuracies and differed slightly from the truth, but in the grand scheme of things, there wasn’t a single wrong word.

“Chivalry has its origins in self-help and arises from the compassion of those who cannot simply overlook others experiencing the same hardships as themselves.”

There was a reason why Yeon So-hyeon could reprimand them like this, despite not knowing them well.

It was precisely because he ‘didn’t know’ them well.

If they were true chivalrous warriors, true heroes, there was no way he wouldn’t know them.

If they were genuine, their names would have been listed in the ‘Spring of Luoyang,’ or he would have heard of them through others.

Like Se-ah, the Crescent Moon Pavilion Mistress.

Like Seo Lim-cheong of the Sala Twin Trees.

Like the Taoist-turned-righteous-thief who was currently robbing the wealthy in Luoyang to help the poor.

Like those who had rolled up their sleeves and participated in the previous battle against the Black Bone Faction, suffering large and small permanent injuries.

Intellectuals with conviction and action had already joined the Spring of Luoyang or were receiving their invitations.

“The conviction you hold may be genuine, but what you’re doing, even in the best light, is nothing more than ‘playing heroes’ where martial artists gather to foster friendship and exchange.”

Finally, one of them exploded.

“…Shut that mouth of yours!”

But Yeon So-hyeon merely scoffed loudly and flipped his outer robe back, fluttering it.

“Yes. Even exploding in anger after hearing a few harsh words is befitting of mere youths.”

“Argh!”

The one who had shouted at Yeon So-hyeon to shut up unleashed his movement technique, exuding a powerful aura.

Not drawing the sword at his waist was perhaps the last manifestation of his conscience to avoid tarnishing their name as chivalrous warriors.

Or was it a petty mind that lacked the confidence to point a blade at the young master of the Luoyang Sword House?

“How foolish…”

Before Yeon So-hyeon could finish his words, the man, having gathered an ominous internal energy, was charging in.

And Yeon So-hyeon’s left hand, which had been clasped behind his back, was also slightly extended forward.

Before the man’s fist could reach Yeon So-hyeon’s face, the concentration of force in Yeon So-hyeon’s slightly extended fist reached its peak.

The Yang Family’s Secret Transmission,

Thunderbolt Heavenly Cannon.

Without a stance, without distance, without preparation time, the secret explosive technique of the Yang family was unleashed.

It was the moment when the Thunderbolt Heavenly Cannon was perfectly executed by Yeon So-hyeon’s hand, having absorbed the secret technique after seeing and experiencing it several times today.

With a flash of light and an ear-splitting roar, the training field shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Yeon So-hyeon’s low laughter resounded as the thick cloud of dust gradually dispersed.

“….”

The man who had slumped in front of Yeon So-hyeon with a dazed expression trembled and looked behind him.

“…!”

Not only were the stone slabs behind him completely shattered in a straight line, but the force that had stretched out endlessly had blasted the thick wall of the training field, leaving only traces of where the wall had been.

He hurriedly checked his body in a fluster, but there was not a single wound.

It was because Yeon So-hyeon had shown mercy in his hand.

Using the technique of striking a cow across a mountain, he had redirected the force of the Thunderbolt Heavenly Cannon to the point behind the opponent’s back.

“…!”

Yeon So-hyeon, receiving gazes filled with shock and astonishment, spoke.

“Be ashamed of those who have nothing to rely on in this world, nothing left but their own two fists.”

He slowly withdrew his extended hand and returned to a posture with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at them.

Born under the oppressive fate of a thousand calamities, he had resisted and resisted again, defeated and defeated once more.

In the end, at the last moment of his life, he had even made a contract with the ancient demon Dark Heavens Scripture to resist that fate again.

The one who spoke said,

“You were born with a splendid background, unlike them, but you are merely dropouts who couldn’t control your temper and chose the easy path.”

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