Chapter 158 – Revolution (6)

The reception room of the Paeng family.

If the study emphasized practicality, the reception room emphasized grandeur.

It was no wonder, as the Paeng family was a clear loser in the Ha Buk Sung region. If they could be brought into the royal family, they would gladly accept the title of a powerful family with a royal bloodline.

Of course, they had heard that they would have to devote absolute loyalty to the emperor, get involved in politics, not be able to focus solely on martial arts, pay several times the taxes they had to pay, and take on increased responsibility for maintaining public order. Despite all these problems, they continued to refuse because they valued their honor more than anything else.

Unlike the factions that followed the teachings of the Gae Pa investigation, the prestigious families had many opportunities for advancement, but they all drew a line with the royal family for the same reason.

At first, it wasn’t their intention, but these days, the prestige of being a government official is more often used to enjoy the right obligations and immense power.

Anyway, what kind of reception room would a great family like this have to receive outsiders?

A spacious area, large and majestic columns, gorgeous furniture, and Paeng Ojin sitting in the center with elders and lords lined up on either side.

A place that exuded the maximum luxury and pressure allowed by Daemyeongryul.

As soon as Paeng Ojin returned, he brought me to the reception room and called everyone.

I thought about rebelling, but I was afraid that I might break a leg if I did, so I just followed quietly.

Paeng Ojin, who had heard all the circumstances and the final argument in the reception room where I had no one on my side, opened his mouth in a solemn voice.

“So… you’re saying that Nokrim and Salgok, who never bowed their heads to anyone, joined hands and became lovers. And the owner of the Chongchaeju, Sura Hyeolbu, used all of Nokrim’s followers, whom he called brothers, as bait and attacked the place where you and Salma Gaju were, with sixty assassins. And you, who had reached the peak of enlightenment, swept them all away, but in the process, you were poisoned and had a falling out with Salma Gaju, who was taking care of you. And you figured out the poison on your own?”

“Yes. That’s right. You summarized it accurately.”

Snap.

With a sound of something breaking, Paeng Ojin, who had a cross-shaped blood vessel on his forehead, stood up and grabbed my neck.

“Hey! You son-in-law! Even if one of these things happened, it would turn the martial arts world upside down, but all of them happened at once? Isn’t it ridiculous that a top-notch martial artist like you couldn’t sense the presence of a first-class assassin in the first place?”

“It’s true, but…”

Paeng Ojin’s grip tightened, and I struggled to breathe.

“Shut up! You’re saying that you’re the only one who can solve this problem, but you’re the one who caused it in the first place! You’re the one who caused all this trouble! You’re a disgrace to the martial arts world!”

Chapter 159 – Revolution (7)

“Tell the truth! Did you just make up a story that could be eaten by So-so?”

“Why would I do such a thing…?”

“You! Are you saying that you’ll bring in another woman even if So-so is sad? Is there something lacking in So-so that you can’t be satisfied?”

“No, why are you saying it like that…ahh!”

Paeng Ojin grabbed my neck and shook me in the air, his forehead vein forming a cross shape.

“Speak from your heart!”

“I’ll tell everything to So-so later!”

“You were thinking about that in the middle of this situation?!”

Someone unexpected stopped Paeng Ojin, who was looking bewildered.

“Stop it, Gaju.”

“The Iljang-ro! It’s the Iljang-ro who’s saying those things to me!”

Of course. Wasn’t the Iljang-ro, who was also a small grandfather, the one who cherished Paeng Soso the most?

“Are you going to do that and make So-so resentful? There must be a better way to determine the truth than just yelling.”

“What is that way?”

Paeng Ojin asked bluntly, and Iljang-ro chuckled.

“Confirming that you have reached the peak of enlightenment through martial arts.”

“Oh.”

Paeng Ojin released his grip on me with an admiring expression.

This is crazy…

But I was prepared for this. If I were in Paeng Ojin’s position, I would have acted the same way.

While recalling Hong Yeon-hwa’s teachings in my mind, suddenly, the door to the reception room opened with a loud noise.

No one would be unaware that the Gaju and elders were gathered here, as I didn’t come here secretly.

So there were only two types of people who could rudely enter the reception room like this.

One was a messenger who came with urgent news, and the other was someone who was qualified to attend this meeting but arrived late.

“Dad! I just received an urgent report from the Murim Alliance!”

“…But why are you doing that in front of Jin-ga? Could it be?”

“I was just brushing off the dust on the shoulders of my son-in-law, who will become the future best in the world. Right, son-in-law?”

“Well, yeah, sure.”

“Hahaha! To reach the peak at this age! So-so brought in a good son-in-law!”

Paeng Ojin pounded my shoulder as a warning, and I nodded my head appropriately.

I’ll tell her later in secret.

Paeng Soso tilted her head for a moment, but it seemed like there was something more important now, as she came in with Hong Yeon-hwa and Salma Mang.

“So-so, what’s the content that made you come here so urgently?”

“It says it’s confidential, so I don’t know the details. I just came here right away because Dad was here.”

Paeng Soso approached me, waving the letter in her hand. Paeng Ojin’s expression grew more and more serious as he read it.

“Hmm…”

He read it two or three times, even letting out a shallow sigh.

Unable to contain his curiosity, the general asked on behalf of the others, “What’s the content, Gaju-nim?”

“Well…it’s quite a shocking content.”

“What is it?”

As if suddenly unsure of what it meant, the general asked again. But instead of answering the general’s reaction, Paeng Ojin let out another sigh and returned to the ornate chair with a tiger carving that only Gaju could sit in.

And only after confirming that the attention was on him, he spoke.

“You asked what the content was? It was the result of interrogating the captured chaeju in the Murim Alliance. It roughly matches what the son-in-law said earlier.”

“Wow…was that not an exaggeration?”

“It is, General. It’s always a bit exaggerated when it comes to young martial artists, and it’s also information that the enemy can manipulate as they please. At best, we thought it was just showing off by hiring Nokrim and Salgok, but the cross-checking of the interrogation and the investigation confirmed that they actually went under the command of the chaeju.”

“Well…if that’s true, we can’t just sit back and watch.”

“The general is right, Gaju. We may not be the only ones thinking this way, so we need to combine the power of the Murim Alliance and the military to uproot those bastards under the command of the chaeju.”

“Hehe. I’ll use my strength for the first time in a while. Gaju-nim. This old man is ready to wield his sword at your command.”

Even with the voices of those who expressed their willingness to fight strongly, Paeng Ojin slowly shook his head.

“It won’t work. At least not now.”

“Why? Even if the chaeju has increased his forces, there is no opponent we cannot defeat if we combine our strength. And this time…”

The gazes turned to Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been watching the meeting expressionlessly since earlier. Sensing this, Hong Yeon-hwa stood next to me and spoke in a firm but clear voice.

“I have no intention of tolerating a group that dared to harm my husband. I will go alone if I have to, and I won’t stop others from joining me.”

The general’s expression brightened at her response.

Hong Yeon-hwa’s presence was a kind of asymmetric force. She was an overwhelming presence that could crush all of the enemy’s forces, no matter how strong they were.

He probably thought that if he went to the battlefield with Hong Yeon-hwa, he could minimize the damage and secure victory.

But even then, Paeng Ojin shook his head.

“Cheonma, I know firsthand how strong you are. However, this time, I want to stop you.”

“Why?”

Paeng Ojin replied calmly to Hong Yeon-hwa, who slightly frowned.

“Jinju Eonga’s betrayal.”

Silence spread throughout the room for a moment. Paeng Ojin spoke lightly, but the content was far from light.

“Jinju Eonga took all the gangsters and headed to the Samaryeon.”

Most prestigious families fulfill their obligations and draw a line between politics and power to enjoy their immense influence.

That’s why past emperors viewed the Murim as a thorn in their side, but the current emperor is said to be quite friendly, willing to cooperate if necessary.

Thankfully.

“I don’t know how he did it, but he even handed over the gangsters he had sent to the palace.”

But there are always exceptions. Jinju Eonga was one of them.

A family that uses gangsi skills, too dangerous and specialized to be monitored by the palace.

A family that cannot be properly wielded even with money and power.

A family that, if necessary, would even make their own son a ginger corpse and bow down to the palace.

“Among the gangsters who protect the borders and the palace, there are quite a few corpses of the Hwanggun’s masters. It’s the choice of those who will remain loyal even in death.”

Perhaps tired of the cruel treatment, Jinju Eonga turned his sword against his oppressors, not against external enemies.

The meaning of that is clear.

“Those gangsters are rampaging around, making the surroundings a mess and gathering somewhere. …It’s really a headache.”

Rebellion.

Jinju Eonga is trying to rebel with the Samaryeon.

“I’ll ask.”

Even though he knew of Hong Yeon-hwa’s presence, the reason they tried to kidnap me was not because Samaryeonju had an optimistic personality.

“Cheonma, how many gangsters made from the corpses of Hwagyeong masters can you fight at once?”

It was something worth trying, even if it was a mistake.

“Can you guarantee victory against the siege of hundreds of years of gangsters and living Sapamun?”

How did Hong Yeon-hwa even end up in this world?

She barely won against the masters of the Jeongpa and the remnants of the Jojeong, suffering a great wound as a price.

Hong Yeon-hwa called herself a half-baked Hyeongyeong.

She was strong, but not invincible.

“You don’t have to fight alone. Just wait a little. Until the palace stabilizes and sends troops to the border. And until the Murim Alliance and the military join forces.”

The current Murim…no, the Jungwon was relatively peaceful. For decades.

But that’s over now.

“This is war.”

“Because a revolution is approaching.”