Absolute Dominion

Chapter 2

Although Gwi Myung had never encountered him, he had heard of the fierce reputation that preceded the Life and Death Sword. The Seven Ghosts of Fujian had met their ends all at once from his sword, and the famous swordsman, Yeom Cheon-Gil, had all his limbs chopped off in a market located in Anyang.

He was surprised that Jin Lee-Bong had an old man like the Life and Death Sword supporting him, but what was said next was even more shocking.

“None of those that were sent returned, including Chu Baek.”

“The Life and Death Sword was defeated?”

Jin Lee-Bong confirmed with a nod.

“The same night, I woke up to an ominous presence staring down at me—it was him. I had never experienced such fear in my life. Of course, I denied any involvement in the matter, but he cut my finger off without even a word of rebuke.”

Jin Lee-Bong lifted his left hand, which he had hidden under the table. However, contrary to the statement he made about only one finger being cut off, there were none left on that hand.

“When I prostrated myself and desperately begged for my life, he asked what my life was worth. I told him it was worth ten thousand nyang, but he did not seem satisfied with that amount and cut another finger off.”

Jin Lee-Bong shuddered, remembering that moment.

“I then made him an offer of one hundred thousand nyang, and only then did he give his silent approval. He requested that the amount be provided in ten-nyang notes that are used commonly in the Central Plains.”

The reason behind his request was because ten-nyang notes were backed by reputable banks, making this form of currency common for trade among merchants, and also, they were untraceable.

Gwi Myung swallowed hard at the outrageous amount. With a hundred thousand nyang… Damn, you could live like an emperor for a lifetime and still have enough left to build a palace in your backyard.

“After this incident, I realized that him approaching me was not a coincidence, but I had no other option but to give him the money.”

Jin Lee-Bong sighed deeply in resignation of his loss.

“The real problem started after that.”

“What happened?”

“He didn’t leave.”

“What?”

Gwi Myung was shocked by the situation; how could one stay after taking such a large sum? It didn’t matter whether he feared retaliation from Jin Lee-Bong—common sense dictated that he should leave after such a robbery. Gwi Myung himself would have left.

“Anyway, I should have just moved on, but alas…”

A despairing sigh flowed out from him once again.

“You sent another person after him again?”

Gwi Myung saw through Jin Lee-Bong’s ruthless and greedy nature. There was no way he could give up after losing such a valuable martial arts manual, along with a hundred thousand nyang and two fingers.

“The next person you sent must have been extraordinary.”

“You’re right, I sent the Blade Demon after him.”

“Blade Demon? Which Blade Demon are you talking about?”

“The Blade Demon, Jin Mu-Baek.”

Hearing the name of such a master, Gwi Myung almost jumped out of his chair.

The Life and Death Sword could not be compared to the Blade Demon, Jin Mu-Baek; he was on a different level. In the martial world, he was one of the top ten blade masters and ranked within the top hundred masters overall. If the Life and Death Sword was a chick, then the Blade Demon was an eagle. The Life and Death Sword may be renowned locally, but the Blade Demon was known all over the nation.

Gwi Myung swallowed hard after hearing the Blade Demon was also hired.

“The price to pay for moving such an expert was twenty gold bars.”

He came to the realization that gold was powerful enough to move even the dead.

“What happened after he was sent?”

Although he expected the outcome wouldn’t be good, given that he was here, it was still hard to imagine that the Blade Demon didn’t achieve what he set out to do.

“I never heard from the Blade Demon again, and the young man returned that night.”

“There’s no way that’s possible…”

Gwi Myung was still shocked, even after expecting the answer. How could the Blade Demon be defeated by a twenty-year-old? The only plausible explanation in his mind was that another master assisted him, and not just one, but multiple. Otherwise, this entire situation was impossible.

“The guards protecting the gate were no match for him, even though they were being paid a hundred nyang a month. I was still awake, so I saw him entering through that door, and when I saw his smile, I felt chills all over.”

Gwi Myung could see Jin Lee-Bong shuddering as he gazed at the door. He was just a shell of his previous self, having lost his meaning to live. He was certain he wouldn’t be alive much longer.

“Just like before, he cut off one more finger without saying a word. He asked how much my life was worth once again, and I told him it was worth a hundred thousand nyang, but he wasn’t going to settle for the same amount again, so he cut off another finger. As I shouted and wailed in pain, I asked how much he wanted, and this time, he demanded two hundred thousand nyang, all in ten-nyang notes.”

He had lost three hundred thousand nyang up to this point, an enormous amount that was hard to imagine.

Gwi Myung was surprised that he hadn’t committed suicide.

“…If the situation had ended there…”

Jin Lee-Bong had no fingers left, showing that his ordeal had not yet ended.

“He still remained? After taking even more money?”

Jin Lee-Bong returned a heavy nod at Gwi Myung’s question.

“As I said before, he remained like an evil spirit.”

“Why didn’t you report him?”

As Gwi Myung suddenly replied, Jin Lee-Bong asked in a faint voice.

“Who could I report this situation to?”

There was no one that came to his mind.

After taking a moment to enjoy Gwi Myung’s awkward silence, Jin Lee-Bong spoke again.

“I did follow the same train of thought you had, and I did contact someone, an individual stronger than even the Blade Demon.”

Gwi Myung was tense and wondered who the person stronger than the Blade Demon could be.

“Who did you call this time?”

This old man was definitely going crazy. The fact that he was answering all of his questions and enjoying this situation was all pointing towards it.

“I called the Sword Demon, Cheon Mu-Ak.”

Gwi Myung could no longer stay seated and stood up in disbelief.

“That’s a joke, right?”

Gwi Myung had to confirm, even though he knew Jin Lee-Bong was speaking the truth.

Cheon Mu-Ak was ranked as one of the current top ten masters, and to top that, he was a demonic master.

All the hairs on his body stood on end. He hadn’t expected this commission to contain such a staggering background when he walked into the room.

“Are you ready to be surprised again?”

Jin Lee-Bong said as he held a sly grin on his face.

“The Sword Demon didn’t return either.”

“…”

Gwi Myung returned to his seat in silence, suppressing his urge to yell that he was being deceived.

“That’s when he came to cut my last remaining finger. He didn’t proceed as he did before. There was no inquiry to discern my life’s worth this time, and I thought that meant my end was nigh.”

Jin Lee-Bong’s body was trembling violently, showcasing his rage.

“He started to disguise himself as me, no, he transformed right in front of my eyes. He created a human skin mask to match my appearance and used fake flesh to pad his body to resemble mine. His new disguise was so impeccable that it was hard even for me to discern. And then…”

Tears were flowing from his bloodshot eyes, and Jin Lee-Bong’s speech was halted for a moment before starting again.

“He subdued my pressure points and hid me behind that screen, and then he started to dispose of all my assets. Even subordinates that had been working under me for twenty years were fooled by his disguise, and fell for his act of coughing and pretending to have a cold to mask his voice.”

His tears did not stop flowing.

“He stayed and maintained his disguise for a period of seven days. My land was sold at a cheap rate, the goods in the warehouse were sold at wholesale price, and even my buildings were used as collateral to take out loans from the bank. Due to my frequent transactions with the bank, they didn’t suspect anything was amiss. Even the things I had forgotten about were sold, showing he had greater knowledge of my assets than I had. After extracting everything he could, he ended up with seven hundred thousand nyang.”

Gwi Myung could only shake his head. In total, Jin Lee-Bong had lost a million nyang.

A million nyang was enough to build a castle and still have a lot to spare.

“He said he felt satisfied as he left, and added that there was no reason stopping him from taking everything.”

“Even after hearing all of this, there’s one thing that still doesn’t make sense.”

“What is it?”

“Why did he show you the martial arts manual, and not just target your wealth from the beginning?”

“Yes, that’s what has been driving me insane, and it has been on my mind ever since you were contacted.”

“So, did you find the answer?”

Jin Lee-Bong gave him a nod.

“I could only think of one reason behind his scheme.”

“What is the reason?”

“He wanted justification, the justification to take my assets legitimately.”

“…Justification…”

“Since I attempted to take what belonged to him and have him killed, that was enough justification for him to also take my wealth.”

But Gwi Myung shook his head, not believing that was the reason.

What kind of thief would care about justification before taking someone else’s wealth? Although it didn’t make sense, there was no other answer he could think of.

“Why didn’t he kill you?”

“He wanted me to suffer.”

Jin Lee-Bong was clearly convinced that was the reason.

His eyes contained determination as he spoke.

“Now do you understand why I wanted to meet the best assassin in the martial world in person?”

Gwi Myung closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He felt that the greatest moment of his life had arrived.

“Kill him for me.”

As Gwi Myung opened his eyes, a chilling and powerful aura emanated around him–this was the first time Jin Lee-Bong had seen something like this.

After hearing everything, Gwi Myung asked Jin Lee-Bong the same question he had when he first arrived.

“Who is he?”

Seeing the determination in the eyes of the one called the best assassin in the world, Jin Lee-Bong was finally ready to answer.

“Jeok Lee-Gun. That’s the name of that evil spirit.”

“Young Master Jeok was truly a connoisseur of romance.”

That was the evaluation given by Hwa Yong, a courtesan at the Red Blossom Pavilion.

Gwi Myung decided to begin his preliminary investigation here, a place Jeok Lee-Gun frequented as often as a mouse visits a grain sack.

Courtesans are the best in the martial world at discerning men. They are so perceptive that they can guess a man’s origin and occupation just by having a few drinks with him.

This was proven by Hwa Yong, who immediately discerned that Gwi Myung was a dangerous individual. After presuming this, she answered his questions obediently.

“Did the man splurge when he visited?”

Contrary to his expectation, she shook her head.

“Young Master Jeok was very frugal during his visits.”

“Continue.”

“He attracted all of the courtesans’ attention and was liked by all of them.”

This guy… He played and drank for free on his visits.

“Even though he hasn’t been around for too long?”

“Time is not important when capturing a woman’s heart.”

“So that means he was skilled under the sheets.”

Hwa Yong held a perceptive expression as she denied his statement, shaking her head again.

“None of the courtesans slept with him.”

Was this guy impotent? What kind of man would frequent a brothel without sleeping with any of the courtesans? Gwi Myung was determined to understand this guy’s nature.

“Then what was so great about this guy for all of them to like him?”

If Gwi Myung did not exude such a fierce presence, Hwa Yong would have immediately shown her contempt at his constant questions. Her face was starting to show a hint of fatigue.

“Young Master Jeok was very understanding. Sometimes he would scold us, acting like an older brother, but other times he would be naive like a younger brother.”

Gwi Myung’s face held a sneer as he thought of these foolish women—they fell for his sweet talk.

“One time, a couple of rogue swordsmen got drunk and caused a scene. Even though the older brothers of the pavilion stepped in, they couldn’t be stopped. We found out afterward that a famous master was backing them. Anyway, those bastards stabbed two of our younger sisters and trapped the rest of us in a room. Even though people think that a courtesan’s life is worth less than a dog’s… the situation showed a complete lack of justice and was very frustrating. Young Master Jeok stepped in and showed his chivalry while everyone was in a state of panic.”

“Were all of them killed?”

‘What martial arts had he used?’

Hwa Yong responded with a puzzled expression.

“Who killed who? Young Master Jeok was beaten up while crawling through their legs. Even though he was humiliated, he endured so that their attention was drawn while the younger sisters escaped the room.”

Gwi Myung hadn’t expected to hear such a story. Jeok Lee-Gun had shown his prowess while demonstrating the Thunder Sword Technique in front of Jin Lee-Bong. Why would he endure such humiliation when those guys could’ve been dealt with, even if he only knew the first form? Why was he hiding his martial arts?

“So what happened next?”

“His antics caused the ruffians to lose interest, so they left.”

He probably used a secret technique to deal with them.

“Anyway, we closed the pavilion early that day and had a private gathering with Young Master Jeok—even the owner could not stop this from happening. Ah! The song that he sang for us on that day still comes to mind.”

She blushed as she recalled the emotions she felt in that moment.

‘This guy is a total player, isn’t he?’

Hwa Yong’s story ended there, and she took the money promised for answering Gwi Myung’s questions and left the room. Left alone, he contemplated while finishing the remaining alcohol in his glass.

‘Where did he run off to now?’

Given the scenario, most people would hide themselves deep in the mountains, passing time by gathering herbs or maybe drying squid by the sea. Eventually, when the pursuers gave up, they could start a new life in a new place with a different identity. Although this was an obvious method, it was reliable, and it was the most common behavior for fugitives that Gwi Myung had encountered.

However, he could not use the same train of thought for this guy; he wasn’t an ordinary individual.

Gwi Myung had two more drinks before he left the Red Blossom Pavilion, and a man known as Gu Seo was waiting for him outside.

Gu (Ninth) Seo (Rat) was known as the Ninth Rat of the Rat Hole.

The Rat Hole was an organization that collected information in the martial world, and large-scale assassin organizations were their sole clients. Even though their name sounded ridiculous, behind it was a very secretive and dangerous organization.

No information was safe from them if they were determined—even when the target took their first steps, or when they had their ‘first experience.’

Informants of the organization were addressed by their numerical standing followed by the term rat to prioritize confidentiality. Their bold and ruthless nature was similar to assassins, since they were their sole clients.

Gu Seo always had a different face at every meeting because all of their informants wore human skin masks. Today, he appeared as an ordinary middle-aged man, but sometimes he appeared as an old man, other times as a young man.

After meeting up, the two continued onwards walking side by side.

Gu Seo passed Gwi Myung a few documents as they passed through the Red-Light District which was lined with brothels.

“Are you going to handle the target personally?”

They had ten assignments where they worked together previously, and ever since their third job, Gwi Myung had specifically requested for him to be sent. Gu Seo held a reputation in the Rat Hole for his clean and thorough work, so Gwi Myung had a good relationship with him.

This was the first time Gu Seo had asked a question while working together.

This meant that even he was having a tough time understanding this assignment.

Gwi Myung also couldn’t understand the situation as he had the same thought while parsing through the information that Gu Seo brought.

‘How is such a guy still alive?’

The documents detailed what Jeok Lee-Gun had been up to over the past six months, which included the events at the Red Blossom Pavilion, and of course, his connection with Jin Lee-Bong. However, there was nothing else—no particular fights or grudges. This guy was just a drifter.

“Was there anything he had done before this?”

“Due to the time constraints, I wasn’t able to investigate that deeply, but if you want…”

“No, that’s fine, this is enough.”

He needed to know his next move, not his previous ones.

“What I need first is his whereabouts.”

“I understand, but there’s something you need to know before that.”

Nothing good came from getting close with an assassin, but Gwi Myung wasn’t just an ordinary assassin.

He was the best assassin in the Ghost Killing Sect, and he always requested the services of Gu Seo. Due to Gwi Myung’s reputation in the martial world, working with him elevated his position within the Rat Hole, so it was time to repay that favor.

“Something is not right.”