The Ruler of Darkness

Book 8: Chapter 11

Around the time Yeon So-hyeon began his sudden attack on the Lee family.

Sanggwan Nanhwa, the founder of Daseollang, was looking over documents in an office at the main Orphanage.

“…….”

Her beautiful eyes beneath rich eyelashes held an unsolved question.

“What kind of documents are they, that you’re pondering so deeply?”

Yi-ryeong, the second of the triplet maids assigned as her personal guard, asked her.

“Ah, these documents are the second list given by the Representative. They contain the names of businesses we need to acquire.”

At her answer, Yi-ryeong tilted her head.

“Is there some problem with the list given by our master?”

Sanggwan Nanhwa’s fine brows furrowed.

“Their management situation is good, and the scale of their businesses is enormous. It seems impossible for us to acquire them through ordinary methods.”

“I wonder why our master included such businesses in the list, even going so far as to append them?”

Sanggwan Nanhwa’s long, slender fingers tapped the document.

“Well, let’s start by noting the commonalities of these businesses. They’re large-scale enterprises that even I, who was based in Sichuan, know about, and also…”

Yi-ryeong’s expression became a bit overwhelmed as Sanggwan Nanhwa recited the commonalities of the businesses just from looking at the list of names.

“Ah…!”

“Did you figure something out?”

Sanggwan Nanhwa nodded and smiled.

“Please prepare the carriage. I think we’ll receive orders to move from the Representative soon.”

“…Huh?”

With a puzzled expression, Yi-ryeong called someone to carry out Sanggwan Nanhwa’s instructions.

And about an incense stick’s burn later, an encrypted note arrived from Yeon So-hyeon with movement orders and coordinates.

“……!”

Yi-ryeong’s expression was as if she’d seen a ghost.

***

Currently.

Luoyang, Lee family main house.

A rookie investigator surreptitiously glanced around as he slowly approached where the prisoners were gathered.

“Ahem.”

He pretended to casually flip through the documents in his hand as he cleared his throat near a martial artist with a large build.

“…What is it?”

The middle-aged martial artist, who had been meditating while bound, opened his eyes and turned to the rookie investigator.

The rookie investigator was momentarily intimidated by the sight of scars covering from his face down to his visible chest, but curiosity soon won out, and he asked in a subtle tone.

“You’re that famous Duelist of Kaifeng, right?”

At those words, the martial artist called a duelist snickered.

“There are countless duelists in Kaifeng.”

Just then, the rookie investigator’s colleague sneaked over and joined the conversation.

“But judging by your appearance, you seem to be the Burning String Blade known for ‘One Day, One Step, One Blade, One Victory’. Am I right?”

The middle-aged martial artist nodded briefly.

“That’s right. It’s me.”

“I knew it. I thought so. So you’re the Burning String Blade who defeated the Wolf Demon Blade who was racing towards a hundred victories.”

“Well, I suppose you’d have to be at least that good to stay as a guest of the Lee family.”

The Burning String Blade showed no interest in their back-and-forth chatter.

“We have something we want to ask you.”

“…What is it?”

Another rookie investigator subtly gestured with his chin in one direction.

“That person. That one.”

The Burning String Blade’s sharp eyes, showing whites on three sides, turned in the direction the investigator pointed.

In the distance was Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.

“…….”

The moment he confirmed his appearance, the duelist’s face, which had been hard to read, contorted for an instant.

It was probably because he was reminded of his own situation, having surrendered without even exchanging a single blow.

“What level do you think his realm is at?”

The rookie investigators asked.

“A famous duelist like you would have a better eye for martial arts than us.”

The two, being mere rookies, had only observed the battle and thus could properly watch Yeon So-hyeon’s exploits.

To satisfy the curiosity they couldn’t help but have, they deliberately spoke to the renowned prisoner from the martial world.

“…….”

The Burning String Blade didn’t particularly want to answer, but he could tell that if he didn’t, the investigators would keep pestering him.

Moreover, though they were clearly just rookies, considering his current situation, there was no benefit in being uncooperative with the investigators.

“…While I don’t know much about group combat or tactics.”

His sharp gaze fixed on Yeon So-hyeon in the distance.

“His movements showed no hesitation even among elite troops, and he swept through the forces locked in close combat as if it were unoccupied territory.”

“We saw that clearly too.”

“So what level do you think the Eldest Young Master’s realm has reached?”

The Burning String Blade shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

At that answer, the two rookie investigators’ expressions turned bewildered.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“…….”

Instead of answering, he closed his mouth.

Then he even closed his eyes again, pretending to sink into meditation.

“Come on, tell us something.”

“If you think you’ll get something by making us curious-“

A rough palm struck the back of the heads of the anxious rookie investigators.

“You stupid idiots…!”

It was a senior investigator.

He berated them in a low voice.

“You ignorant brats, have you lost your minds, getting excited after seeing blood?”

“S-Senior…!”

Seeing their senior’s serious expression without a hint of playfulness, the rookie investigators hurriedly straightened up and bowed their heads.

“That person is not just some martial artist from the gangho, but Eldest Young Master of the Sword House and a hero who greatly reduced our allies’ casualties today. How dare you whisper about his realm in his presence?”

The senior’s fierce gaze, still in armor stained with enemy blood, glared at the two rookies.

“Do you think everyone else has no eyes or mouths, that they’re not talking about the divine prowess he showed? Do you not even have the heart to show respect? Or were you never taught manners?”

At his rebuke, the rookie investigators’ faces instantly turned pale.

“…We’ll correct our behavior.”

“Useless fools. Both of you, return to your duties immediately.”

As the rookie investigators hastily left, the senior investigator who had been looking at their retreating figures with dissatisfaction also returned to his duties.

“…Hmm.”

The Burning String Blade, who had closed his mouth earlier sensing the senior investigator approaching, quietly opened his eyes and looked at Yeon So-hyeon in the distance.

‘…To show such a level of martial arts that even I find hard to gauge, at that age. Following Yeon Seo-rin of the Thousand Clothes Unwoven, has another genius appeared in the martial world?’

He was one who challenged the ‘wall’ to reach the level of a master, and his inability to gauge the realm meant that the Eldest Young Master’s realm had clearly surpassed the wall.

The Burning String Blade, who was about to observe Yeon So-hyeon’s every move to find even a small clue to overcome the wall, quickly lowered his head.

“……!”

As soon as he infused inner energy to enhance his vision for observation, Yeon So-hyeon turned to look at him as if by magic.

In that moment when their eyes met, his mind instantly went blank.

It was a gaze that went beyond pressuring body and mind, as if piercing and crushing the very bottom of the soul.

‘…Wh-What on earth!’

He felt cold sweat running down without realizing it.

He had seen countless martial artists in that hellish land of Kaifeng who would be offended to be called second-rate, but that Eldest Young Master was different from any of them.

‘Come to think of it….’

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘If a sword were in that Eldest Young Master’s hand…?’

Wasn’t that youth, whose realm he dared not measure, the Eldest Young Master of that ‘Sword House’?

***

Before mounting the refurbished iron fortress, Yeon So-hyeon spoke to Elder Cheong, the head of the Cheong family.

“I leave the wrap-up to you.”

“Leave it to me, Eldest Young Master.”

Elder Cheong smiled heartily at those words.

“Besides, isn’t this war just beginning?”

“Indeed.”

After glancing at Elder Cheong, Yeon So-hyeon climbed up and as the door closed, the spirit beasts let out long howls, and the steel wheels began to move.

“…….”

A wounded soldier receiving treatment pushed away the physician’s hand and stood up.

Seeing this, other wounded soldiers also stood on their own two feet, even if they needed help.

It was because they saw the iron carriage moving.

“…….”

The investigators who were investigating, the young judge directly commanding the investigation at the frontline, the judicial enforcement troops resting in the shade, all stood and turned their gaze towards the iron fortress.

Not a trace of disrespect could be found in those gazes.

The first to raise his hand to his chest and bow his head was the commander of the judicial enforcement troops.

And following him, everyone respectfully put their clenched fists to their chests and bowed their heads towards Yeon So-hyeon.

It was a military salute.

“…….”

“…….”

This was an expression of respect towards the Eldest Young Master who, despite his martial prowess and high status, had personally leapt into enemy lines.

They didn’t raise their heads for a while, even after the iron fortress had disappeared from view.

And after enough time had passed for everyone to feel they had sufficiently expressed their respect, people began to speak up one by one.

“…Did you see?”

“Of course I saw. That was divine prowess. He was truly worthy of being called a divine general.”

They couldn’t dare gossip behind his back in Yeon So-hyeon’s presence out of respect.

But it was different after he left.

He had shown brilliant achievements today, and spreading praise for those achievements was the proper courtesy a rising star should receive.

The investigators chattered away.

“Thanks to him, my eyes have been greatly opened today.”

“Just by watching, I feel like I’ve gained some insight into my own martial arts.”

“He didn’t discriminate between fist, palm, or leg techniques, and moreover, that sublime spear technique he showed with the flag pole…!”

The judges stroked their beards continuously.

“To think such a figure had been in seclusion, hiding his abilities until now!”

“As the Huainanzi philosophical thought says, ‘Tigers and leopards do not show their claws, and when they bite, their teeth are not seen’…”

Tigers and leopards don’t reveal their claws, and even when biting, they don’t show their teeth.

“Indeed, those words fit that Eldest Young Master perfectly.”

Elder Cheong’s smile deepened as he listened to the gradually increasing murmurs among those present.

The exploits he showed today would become rumors, one leading to another.

And those rumors would spread throughout Luoyang, giving rise to countless questions and speculations about the Eldest Young Master’s realm.

He thought that, without a doubt, by this evening, one could hear stories about the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword House in any restaurant or tavern in Luoyang.

***

The main hall of a business owned by the Lee family in Luoyang.

“Are you still considering?”

Sanggwan Nanhwa smiled at her counterpart.

She wore elaborate yet weighty outdoor attire, with heavier makeup than usual, displaying a mature appearance.

“…….”

Though her smile was alluring, to her counterpart, it felt like a predator growling.

“From my view, it doesn’t seem like a matter that requires much consideration.”

The chief executive of Yeongwa Trading Company, a business owned by the Lee family, answered while sweating profusely.

“…To hand over the entire business. Even if the Lee family’s main house has fallen, isn’t Eldest Young Master taking too extreme a measure?”

“Hand over everything? Anyone listening would think we’re robbing you. The Eldest Young Master will pay a sufficient price.”

“…The price isn’t the issue! Our Yeongwa Trading Company is currently growing every year and recording enormous profits. Isn’t it practically an outrage to ask us to sell such a company?”

“Is that so?”

Sanggwan Nanhwa rose from her seat gracefully.

“I wonder how much longer all of this, including the distribution route to Jiangnan that this Yeongwa Trading Company has occupied, can be maintained?”

She spoke as if giving advice out of kindness one last time.

“Soon, competing businesses who have heard the news of the Lee family’s collapse will start rushing in one after another. They will devour this Yeongwa Trading Company, leaving not even a bone fragment. I should wish you martial fortune.”

As she bowed and withdrew, she didn’t seem to have even a trace of lingering attachment.

“W-Wait…!”

In the end, it was the chief executive of Yeongwa Trading Company who stopped her.

“Please give me a little more time!”

Sanggwan Nanhwa visibly sighed before sitting down again.

She didn’t pull the chair in to sit properly, but sat askew, blatantly showing that she could leave at any time.

“…Urgh!”

The company’s chief executive, sweating like rain, clutched his head.

To show his feelings so nakedly at a business meeting.

Even he couldn’t have imagined he would show such an appearance until this moment arrived.

But the current situation was the worst of the worst, and hiding his expression to conceal his mental state wouldn’t give him any advantage whatsoever.

He was barely hanging on the edge of a cliff to begin with.

“…Though I’m the chief executive of this company, the sale of this company isn’t something I can decide alone.”

“If that’s your concern, don’t worry.”

At his words, Sanggwan Nanhwa smiled and pulled out documents she had prepared.

Those documents were the ones she had received from Head Maid Jung-ah at the coordinates indicated by the encrypted note.

“The head of the Lee family has already agreed to the sale.”

“…What are you saying?!”

“See for yourself.”

The chief executive received the documents with wide eyes.

“……?!”

On those documents was the official seal of the Lee family head, and along with it, the Lee family head’s clear fingerprint.

“B-But this fingerprint…”

Though the fingerprint was as red as seal ink, it had a dark reddish tinge that differed from the dried color of the seal ink he was familiar with.

Moreover, the faint fishy smell coming from that fingerprint.

“It can’t be…”

He raised his trembling gaze to look at Sanggwan Nanhwa.

“Oh my…!”

After briefly examining the fingerprint, she showed a smile that seemed devoid of emotion.

“It seems the head of the Lee family was in quite a hurry. To use his own blood for a fingerprint.”

The chief executive’s complexion turned deathly pale.

It wasn’t difficult to guess what had happened to the family head.

“…….”

To avoid being eaten, one must eat first.

Sanggwan Nanhwa, who had nearly lost her members and family to the Emei Sect in the past, was now prepared to take everything from her enemies.