Chapter 158: Chapter 158
Once the wooden handle was finished, Kwak Yeon drove it firmly into the hammerhead.
After confirming the handle was securely fastened, he handed it to So-cheong.
“Let’s go give it to your father.”
So-cheong nodded with a bright face.
Kwak Yeon felt that the child had finally emerged from the dark cave.
‘Now all that remains is to wait for her to speak of her own will.’
New flesh growing strong is a process that must happen on its own, so when that day would come, he could not know.
But since the deep wound had now been wrapped, it likely wouldn’t take long.
“So-cheong, where did this come from?”
When Wang Cheol-go received the hammer that his daughter had dragged over with effort, he asked. And Kwak Yeon inwardly held his breath.
Her delicate lips were twitching ever so slightly.
But in the end, her voice did not come out.
Even so, Kwak Yeon wasn’t disappointed. He had seen the effort.
So he answered on her behalf.
“Brother Wang, there was some scrap metal, so I made it.”
“You made this yourself, sir? But we don’t have a bellows or a crucible—how...?”
“I possess a bit of secret technique.”
To ordinary people’s eyes, it certainly looked like a secret art, so it wasn’t a complete lie.
“Ah! So you used mystical power—Daoist magic! Oh, I must have some hidden fortune for this to happen to me.”
“It’s not properly forged, so it’ll be lacking.”
“Oh no, sir. How could something made with mystical power be compared to what comes from a smithy?”
Just then, a man rushed into the yard.
He was one of the village militia members whom Kwak Yeon had seen multiple times.
Kwak Yeon, anticipating that the Cheongwu Merchant House Lord would surely make a move, had asked the militia to inform him if anything happened in the village.
“There’s a gang of ruffians from the so-called Cheongya Hall tearing up the marketplace!”
Feeling stifled from staying in her room, Ju Yeoryeong had come down to the inn’s dining hall.
It was around lunchtime anyway.
Just as she entered the dining hall, she spotted Danmok Cheong sitting alone at a corner table.
He still had his conical hat pulled down low.
Seeing that he was the only guest there made Ju Yeoryeong hesitate. She considered going back to her room.
But then, she suddenly felt indignant.
‘It was that old man from the Danmok Family who caused trouble. Why should I be the one avoiding him?’
With her head held high, Ju Yeoryeong strode into the dining hall and took a seat.
While waiting for the inn attendant, she thought it was a bit fortunate that her Master wasn’t here.
If her Master found out Danmok Seong was here, who knew what might happen?
‘What in the world happened between Master and that old monster Danmok?’
Considering how her Master would grit her teeth at the name Danmok and call Danmok Seong an “old monster,” it was clear there was a deep grudge.
‘But if it’s such a deep grudge, why hasn’t she settled it by now?’
Though the Danmok Family had power, Ju Yeoryeong couldn’t imagine her Master leaving such a grudge unresolved, given her personality.
‘Anyway, the old monster Danmok hasn’t shown up since yesterday...’
She felt a slight twinge of curiosity but had no intention of going over to ask.
“What would you like to order, miss?”
“A bowl of thin noodles, please.”
She placed a simple order with the slightly late-arriving attendant, then glanced over at Danmok Cheong.
With only the two of them in the dining hall, there was no way he didn’t hear her order. But he continued to ignore her.
Since the attendant had gone back into the kitchen, they were now the only ones in the room, which made her oddly self-conscious.
‘That guy’s facial scar is definitely from the Cave Daoist.’
She’d seen how Danmok Cheong slinked away like a mouse from a cat every time he saw Kwak Yeon.
‘But even so, that so-called great-uncle of his treats the Cave Daoist with such warmth, like he’s family. It’s bizarre.’
Despite receiving only cold indifference from his elder and wearing that hat day and night, Ju Yeoryeong felt a tiny bit of sympathy for Danmok Cheong.
‘What am I thinking? The Danmok Family is my Master’s sworn enemy.’
She quickly redirected her thoughts.
‘I wonder if the Cave Daoist’s doing okay. I’m kind of bored—should I go check on him?’
But she soon shook her head.
‘He was so serious about it... If I go, it’s not going to be pretty.’
At that moment, a loud group burst into the dining hall.
Since Sangjeon Village was a busy place during the day, the dining hall rarely had guests at this hour. So naturally, all eyes turned toward them.
‘Wait, those guys...!’
Ju Yeoryeong’s eyes widened slightly—she recognized a few of them.
Some of the bold newcomers also widened their eyes.
It was no surprise they recognized her—just like before, a stunning woman was sitting alone in the dining hall.
“That’s the one, Branch Master!”
At the shout from one of the subordinates, the Cheongya Hall Branch Lord, Wang O-geol, turned his gaze to Ju Yeoryeong.
“Remember when we couldn’t collect from that inn by the ferry? She’s the one who interfered with our business and took the money.”
Of course, the claim that she’d taken money was a lie.
The Cheongya Hall thugs, having been beaten by her, simply blamed her and pocketed the money themselves.
Naturally, Wang O-geol had no idea. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0velFire.ɴet
“Well, well. They say you meet your enemy on a single-log bridge—how fortunate.”
The innkeeper and attendant were startled and cried out,
“Sirs, you can’t do this in here!”
Without a word, Wang O-geol slapped the innkeeper across the face and shouted,
“Shut your trap! After I deal with this wench, I’ll be taking over this place too.”
The innkeeper clutched his cheek and asked in disbelief,
“As of today, every shop in Sangjeon Village is under the protection of Cheongya Hall. You should be grateful—you’ll be able to do business without worry.”
“S-sir, what are you saying? This is Sangjeon Vil—Guh!”
Wang O-geol kicked the innkeeper aside and strode toward Ju Yeoryeong’s table.
A full twenty thugs from Cheongya Hall followed behind him.
Wang O-geol slammed his jagged-toothed sword onto the table and said,
“Let’s see what that ‘impressive skill’ of yours really looks like, since you dared to assault our Hall members and rob them.”
Despite the thugs’ threatening presence, Ju Yeoryeong didn’t bat an eye as she said,
“So, you’re the Branch Lord. If you apologize on behalf of your underlings, I might generously forgive you. After all, this whole mess started because your men were rude to me.”
“Forgive us, you say?”
“Look at this brat with her nose in the air. I guess you do know some martial arts. Too bad for you, the people in front of you today aren’t like those lackeys from before—they’re the Hall’s elite.”
Ju Yeoryeong let out a soft sigh and asked,
“You’re the Branch Lord of Cheongya Hall, right?”
“Well, sorry to say this to your face but...”
“To me, you all look like garbage from the same trash bin.”
Wang O-geol’s eyes blazed.
“You little wench, you’re begging for death! Fine! I was looking for a non-villager to make an example of!”
With that, Wang O-geol signaled his men—and all twenty of them drew their weapons.
With the sound of his robes billowing, Danmok Cheong stepped in front of Ju Yeoryeong.
“And what are you supposed to be?”
“You’d have multiple men gang up on a single woman? Even for the dark side, that’s disgraceful.”
Wang O-geol quickly scanned the young man with the conical hat. Then he concluded he wasn’t the Cave Daoist.
‘He’s not carrying the Cheonggang Sword. Nothing to worry about.’
“Trying to play the hero, huh? If you don’t want to die with her, I suggest you sit down and shut up.”
Ju Yeoryeong, clearly annoyed, said to Danmok Cheong,
“Why are you getting involved? I don’t need your help. Step aside.”
“I can’t do that. How could I call myself a man if I stood by while a lady suffers? Miss Ju, please stand back.”
“This is my fight. Especially from you—no, from your family, I don’t want anything.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t acknowledge you earlier. But that doesn’t mean you should speak so coldly.”
“That’s not what I meant...”
“Miss Ju, the situation is urgent. Please step back. If you get hurt by a stray blade, I won’t forgive myself.”
Danmok Cheong refused to move, so Ju Yeoryeong had no choice but to yield.
“Let me make this clear—this is not you helping me.”
“As you wish. Let’s call it that.”
Watching the two of them, Wang O-geol scoffed.
“Well, aren’t you two cute. Think Cheongya Hall is that soft? Save your talk for the coffin. I’ll make sure the two of you share the same one.”
Wang O-geol raised his jagged sword and bellowed,
“Kill them both! They’re outsiders! No need to hold back!”
As the thugs charged with weapons drawn, Danmok Cheong unsheathed his sword.
“They just started a fight at the inn with that guy and Cheongya Hall.”
At the words of the mole planted in Cheongya Hall, Maeng Seung-gwan—the hunting dog handler of the Cheongwu Merchant House Lord—asked,
“That guy. Are you sure it’s the Cave Daoist?”
“No mistake. That woman always with him was there too.”
Maeng Seung-gwan tossed the spy a silver liang and waved him off, then turned to look at ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) his hunting dogs.
Five of them, eyes gleaming, crouched in the shadows of the alley.
They wore the clothes of Cheongya Hall thugs and looked human—but they were not.
Monstrous criminals who should have been executed long ago.
The Cheongwu Merchant House Lord had secretly broken them out of government prisons and even taught them martial arts.
He had given mad dogs new fangs for moments .
“Leave no rats alive in Deokseon Manor.”
The hunting dogs’ eyes turned bloodshot with hunger.
As the dogs leapt out of the alley and raced toward Deokseon Manor, Maeng Seung-gwan smiled coldly.
They obeyed him unconditionally.
It had taken great effort—and plenty of corpses—to mold them this way.
Maeng Seung-gwan swiftly exited the alley.
After all, it was his job to take the Grand Scholar’s head.
Watching the dogs vault the low outer wall that marked Deokseon Manor’s boundary, he launched himself toward the scholar’s residence.
He needed to finish the job while the dogs carried out their hunt.