Chapter 241

Jin Seol-ah unknowingly covered her mouth with both hands.

The moment she heard Han Yu-cheon’s words, she felt the illusion that her own tongue was being cut out.

‘Ah!’

Jin Seol-ah trembled.

Han Yu-cheon’s killing intent was too terrifying for the still-young girl to handle.

Han Yu-cheon hadn’t even openly revealed his killing intent. And yet, Jin Seol-ah felt a sense of terror and her body trembled.

‘He’s terrifying!’

Jin Seol-ah was also a martial artist, born into a martial family and trained in martial arts from a young age. Thanks to that, she had met many martial artists and had been exposed to killing intent, but Han Yu-cheon was on a different level.

Just being in the same space as him made it hard to breathe, and her whole body trembled like an aspen tree.

For the still-young Jin Seol-ah, the very existence of Han Yu-cheon was too overwhelming.

Pyo Wol and Han Yu-cheon were glaring at each other.

They looked so murderous, as if they would draw their swords on each other at any moment.

Jin Seol-ah couldn’t even breathe properly and backed away. But neither Pyo Wol nor Han Yu-cheon gave her a single glance.

Jin Seol-ah hadn’t noticed at all, but the two men were currently fighting fiercely.

It wasn’t necessary to move one’s body and swing a sword to inflict injury on each other.

Han Yu-cheon was a martial artist who had approached the highest realm one could reach with the sword.

He didn’t need to hold a sword in his hand to harm an opponent.

Han Yu-cheon’s eyes went to Pyo Wol’s mouth.

At that moment, Pyo Wol’s gaze went to Han Yu-cheon’s wrist. Han Yu-cheon seemed to flinch slightly, then his eyes went to Pyo Wol’s chest.

Pyo Wol’s gaze fell upon Han Yu-cheon’s foot.

Han Yu-cheon’s gaze turned cold.

They were not engaged in a pointless staring contest.

Their gazes were the Sword Stance.

Where their gazes landed was where the sword would strike.

An ordinary martial artist would not be able to comprehend the very idea of substituting a sword with one’s gaze, but a martial artist who had reached their level could tell what kind of Sword Stance the opponent was about to unleash just by looking at their eyes.

Their eyes were on each other, but in their minds, a world of mental imagery was unfolding.

In the world of mental imagery, they were unleashing Killing Moves on each other.

‘This man!’

A flash of admiration appeared on Han Yu-cheon’s face.

This kind of confrontation could not directly harm the opponent, but it could leave a great scar on the mind.

It was a kind of aftereffect.

Han Yu-cheon was quite surprised by the fact that Pyo Wol could understand his intentions and engage in a mental confrontation.

It was a method of confrontation impossible for anyone but an expert of Han Yu-cheon’s caliber.

He had roamed the Jianghu for a long time, but the number of people who understood his intentions and engaged in a mental confrontation could be counted on one hand. And they were all the top experts of the current Jianghu.

Even when he heard about Pyo Wol from Won Gayoung, he hadn’t acknowledged him.

He thought that no matter how strong his martial arts were, he couldn’t escape the limitations of an assassin.

The martial arts of an assassin had clear limits.

They could gain an advantage through an Ambush Attack, but the path to higher realms was blocked, so no further development could be expected.

He might have been lucky enough to gain the upper hand against the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect in Sichuan, but he thought that in a head-on confrontation, his true level would be mercilessly exposed.

But having clashed with him directly, Pyo Wol’s level far exceeded his expectations.

Above all, the fact that he understood and responded to his Sword Stance was a great shock.

Han Yu-cheon erased the sharp look in his eyes. He had withdrawn the Sword Stance he was unfolding with his eyes.

There was no point in testing Pyo Wol any further.

He had no choice but to acknowledge Pyo Wol.

Han Yu-cheon was more ruthless than anyone to opponents he didn’t acknowledge, but he was also a man who could become endlessly generous to an opponent he did acknowledge.

Han Yu-cheon opened his mouth.

“My apologies. You are more than qualified to run your mouth in front of me. Gayoung’s assessment of you was not wrong.”

“What was her assessment?”

“A man who can easily kill others, but will not die easily himself. That was Gayoung’s assessment. You are the first person Gayoung has ever rated so highly.”

As he spoke, Han Yu-cheon’s eyes were filled with longing for Won Gayoung.

She was an exceptionally bright and clever disciple.

She was a disciple who received his full affection, not only because of her outstanding talent, but also because she was quick-witted and always chose her words beautifully.

She was more like a daughter to him than a disciple. That was why the sense of loss he felt was bound to be great.

Han Yu-cheon started walking and said.

“Let’s walk for a bit.”

Pyo Wol nodded and started walking.

The reason he hadn’t attacked when Han Yu-cheon showed his killing intent was because he had seen a great sense of loss in his eyes.

Jin Seol-ah didn’t dare to follow the two men and just watched their backs.

Pyo Wol also paid no mind to Jin Seol-ah and walked with Han Yu-cheon.

The one who spoke first was Han Yu-cheon.

“You must have come here because of the deaths of those children too, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I always told Gayoung. I told her to be careful, that she wouldn’t live long if she stayed by a child like Geum-woo. But that foolish disciple of mine didn’t listen to her master’s words at all. And then she returned as a cold corpse.”

“Cause of death?”

“A sword wound.”

“A sword wound?”

“A faint sword wound on her forehead. A small wound, no bigger than a child’s fingernail. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought it was just a scratch from a tree branch. But through that wound, a tremendous amount of qi seeped in and completely destroyed her brain. Just like the Heavy Hand Technique.”

“The outside was fine, but the inside must have been completely crushed.”

“Exactly. My cute disciple died so horribly. Without even getting to live out her dreams. That’s why I can’t forgive Jin Geum-woo, who coaxed her into accompanying him to the Jianghu. If it weren’t for Jin Geum-woo, Gayoung would never have died.”

“That’s a sophistry.”

“Sophistry?”

“Her choice was not due to Jin Geum-woo’s coercion. She chose it herself. You just need someone to blame right now, and you’re just trying to vent your anger by turning that target to Jin Geum-woo.”

“Perhaps. I don’t care if you call me petty for this. I was never a broad-minded person to begin with.”

“What if the real culprit who killed them is revealed?”

“Then I will do everything in my power to annihilate the culprit and everything related to them.”

Han Yu-cheon let out a chilling killing intent.

It was a terrifying killing intent, incomparable to anything before, and it seemed as if all of nature was screaming.

The immense killing intent, so powerful that even Pyo Wol’s breath caught for a moment, soon subsided. Han Yu-cheon had withdrawn it.

Han Yu-cheon asked.

“Why did you mention the real culprit? Have you found something?”

“I’m looking.”

“Do you think you can find them?”

“I have never once lost what I was tracking.”

“Even without any evidence?”

“There’s no evidence, but I have a suspicion. It will be certain soon.”

Han Yu-cheon frowned at Pyo Wol’s answer.

It was hard to believe.

After his disciple’s death, he had tried in every way to find the real culprit. But he couldn’t find a single piece of evidence. So to hear that Pyo Wol had already found a clue was unbelievable.

“Is that true?”

“Wait a little while and you’ll see.”

“If you… find the fiend who killed that child, and thus allow me to take my revenge, I will be on your side. Even if all the people in Jianghu curse you and treat you as a sinner, I will stand by your side and fight. This is a promise I make on my alias, the Sword Venerable.”

＊＊＊

In Runan, besides Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor, there was another famous thing.

Golden Mountain Manor.

It was the manor of the magnate Geum Shinchung, who was known to have built a mountain of gold.

The Golden Mountain Manor was as huge as Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor combined. In terms of sheer scale, there was no sect in all under heaven that could match it.

No one except Geum Shinchung knew exactly how much the Golden Mountain Manor’s true wealth was. But many people believed that if Geum Shinchung released his fortune, he could save all the poor in all under heaven.

Anyone who came to the Golden Mountain Manor for the first time would be overwhelmed by its scale.

The huge pavilions, the complex structure, the view that seemed to compress an entire city, were enough to intimidate people.

Because of that, those who visited the Golden Mountain Manor for the first time were so intimidated that they couldn’t walk with their shoulders squared.

The Golden Mountain Manor, like any other manor, was largely divided into an outer court and an inner court. The outer court was somewhat open to the public, but the inner court could only be used freely by Geum Shinchung’s family.

The inner court of the Golden Mountain Manor was the pinnacle of splendor.

The pavilions, built by renowned artisans from all under heaven, were as magnificent as the imperial palace, and the furniture and various ornaments were also made by master craftsmen.

Selling just one porcelain vase standing in a corner of a hallway would be enough for an ordinary family to live on for a good ten years. Such items were scattered everywhere.

The Golden Hall was the largest and most splendid pavilion in the inner court. True to its name, the Golden Hall, the great hall was all aglow with gold.

The huge pillars were plated with gold leaf, and the roof was also painted gold, so it shone golden from a distance.

Most of the objects inside the Golden Hall were also tinged with gold.

Even the dining table was plated with gold leaf, shining with a golden light.

Two people were sitting at the golden table, eating.

A heavyset middle-aged man in a golden robe and a woman with a contrasting slender figure.

The middle-aged man was so fat that his features were buried in his flesh and could not be seen properly. But because his frame was so large, he did not look sluggish at all.

In front of him, food was piled up like a mountain.

The middle-aged man ate the food greedily, as if possessed. His appearance was reminiscent of a Hungry Ghost.

Conversely, the woman in her early twenties sitting opposite him ate her food little by little with grace.

The appearance of the two was in stark contrast.

“Burp!”

Finally, the middle-aged man finished his meal, rubbed his stomach, and let out a burp. The woman on the other side also put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a white handkerchief.

Just as the two finished their meal, a cautious voice was heard from outside the door.

“Manor Lord! Unit Leader Ho has returned.”

“Let him in.”

“Yes!”

The middle-aged man roughly wiped the sauce from his mouth with his sleeve. The sleeve of his golden robe was covered in sauce, but he didn’t care.

“That was a good meal. The cook did a pretty good job with the flavor today.”

“Well, he has the best skills in Henan. You know that, Dad. You know how much money I spent to bring him here.”

“I know, I know. Didn’t I even scold you for spending money on useless things?”

“Are you feeling like apologizing now?”

“Hehe! I still think you spent too much money. To spend so much on a mere cook. You could have reduced it by at least two silver nyang a month, but you didn’t even make the minimum effort.”

“Dad! You have to spend that much money to hire a proper person.”

The middle-aged man snorted at the woman’s words. But the woman was not disappointed or hurt. Because the middle-aged man was always like that.

Golden Mountain Manor Lord Geum Shinchung.

That was the middle-aged man’s identity. And the woman was Geum Shinchung’s daughter, Geum Siyeon.

Like Geum Shinchung, Geum Siyeon had a fanatical love for gold and wore gold accessories all over her body. Even the clothes she wore were embroidered with splendid patterns in gold thread.

It wasn’t just that the color was gold; the patterns were made of real gold.

Geum Siyeon resembled her father in every way except for her looks.

Her fanatical obsession with gold, her ruthless scheming, and even her quick calculations.

Because of that, she had received a considerable amount of authority from Geum Shinchung and was involved in the management of the Golden Mountain Manor.

While the two were bickering over the cost of the cook, the door opened cautiously and a man entered.

The young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, bowed his head and greeted Geum Shinchung as soon as he entered the room.

“Your nephew, Geum Usin, greets you, Uncle.”

“Good work.”

“I only did what was expected of me.”

“But why are you so late?”

“Well, that’s…”

Geum Usin couldn’t hide his flustered expression.

Geum Shinchung pressed him.

“According to the schedule, you should have been back the day before yesterday. Why were you so late?”

“Ah, actually, something came up.”

“What came up? The matter of you getting caught trying to switch horses?”

“Gasp!”

For a moment, Geum Usin was so shocked he felt his heart would leap out of his mouth.

He never dreamed that Geum Shinchung would know about the humiliating incident at the inn where he was caught trying to switch Pyo Wol’s horse.

He was sure he had silenced the mouths of those who were with him, yet the fact that it had reached Geum Shinchung’s ears gave him the chills.

Geum Shinchung’s eyes, buried in flesh, shone menacingly.

“Fine! It’s all fine! It’s natural to be greedy for a good horse. A man can be that greedy. But the fact that you used such a cowardly method, failed to achieve your goal, and tarnished the prestige of this clan is unforgivable.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“What happened? Tell me honestly.”