The Ruler of Darkness

Book 8: Chapter 6

It was so sudden that no one could react.

The body of the district head, who was punched in the jaw by Yeon So-hyeon, spun around in the air and rolled on the ground.

Those around him could see the teeth that had fallen out of the district head’s mouth shining dazzlingly in the noon sunlight along with fresh blood.

“……!”

Although they didn’t understand the situation precisely, the three guard officers standing around the district head drew their swords in unison as they had been trained.

“Ambush-!”

“The district head-!”

They couldn’t even finish their shouts.

A sound like a rotting tree snapping and falling came from the abdomen of a guard officer standing farthest to the right.

Hit by a punch without even having time to properly draw his internal energy, he flew back like he had been directly hit by a siege weapon and crashed into the wall.

“…Urgh!”

“Hah!”

The second and third guard officers managed to launch an attack each before the first guard officer flew and crashed into the wall.

However, their attacks vainly cut through the air.

And before they could even feel that their attacks had missed, Yeon So-hyeon’s palms had already reached their chests.

With a sound like drums bursting, the bodies of the two guard officers flew through the air like arrows and collided with different buildings.

Their bodies pierced through the walls, and they must have broken some important pillars because the shabby slum buildings collapsed altogether.

“How dare you….”

Yeon So-hyeon withdrew his hand and brushed his sleeve.

At that moment, with a rumbling sound, the stone wall collapsed on top of the first guard officer who had flown and crashed.

Amidst the thick swirling dust, Yeon So-hyeon spoke as everyone’s gazes gathered on him.

“Drawing swords against me, the Eldest Young Master. Be grateful that I showed this much mercy.”

One of the district head’s assistants, who had been listening to those words, pointed at Yeon So-hyeon with a trembling hand.

“E-even if you are the Eldest Young Master of the Sword House, such a barbaric act-.”

The words didn’t finish.

The assistant, who was hit by Yeon So-hyeon’s punch, spun around in the air like the district head and sprawled on the ground.

“……!”

Everyone’s eyes widened again as if they would tear apart.

The officials, who had their mouths agape without even knowing that dust was entering, couldn’t believe the sight they were witnessing.

Assaulting officials in broad daylight, in front of everyone!

Without even paying attention to the dumbfounded crowd, Yeon So-hyeon precisely looked at the commander of guards.

“You there. Are you the leader of the government soldiers?”

The commander of guards, who met Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze, was startled and dropped his wooden club, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

But having witnessed the previous situation, he didn’t have the courage to draw his sword.

Seeing him hesitate, Yeon So-hyeon spoke as if commanding.

“Withdraw all the government soldiers.”

Should he follow the Eldest Young Master’s order?

“E-Eldest Young Master, you have no authority to give orders to this officer!”

If he, as a military officer, followed the Eldest Young Master’s order in front of everyone, his official career would be over.

He shook his head while sweating coldly.

“Assaulting the district head and ambushing the government officers, this matter cannot be easily overlooked…!”

Sighing, he took steps back as he watched the approaching Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword House.

The people standing between him and Yeon So-hyeon parted to the sides as if avoiding a plague patient.

“Obstructing the execution of official duties by an official appointed by His Majesty the Emperor with force is defined as a serious criminal act against the solemn laws of the Central Plains…!”

The more Yeon So-hyeon approached, the faster his steps backward became, and the speed at which he moved his lips and tongue also increased.

“E-Eldest Young Master! This officer is a member of the Lee clan, maintaining a good relationship with the Luoyang Sword House…!”

“The Lee clan?”

“Th-that’s right! Our Lee clan-“

Yeon So-hyeon cut off his words.

“Isn’t the district head bastard lying over there a direct descendant of the Lee clan? I heard the Lee clan had inserted so many of their clan members into the Luoyang government, and you were one of them.”

“Th-that…?!”

Yeon So-hyeon’s footsteps stopped.

It wasn’t because the commander of guards’ nonsense had worked.

It was because the commander of guards’ back had hit the wall, and there was nowhere else to back away.

“This is the last warning. Withdraw your forces.”

The commander of guards’ trembling gaze looked around.

None of the officials opened their mouths.

No one tried to help.

But he couldn’t follow Yeon So-hyeon’s order either.

If he withdrew the forces following the order of Yeon So-hyeon, who had no official position, and was later investigated by the central government, they would all pour out hostile testimonies.

He closed his eyes tightly.

“…I cannot do that.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon So-hyeon, who responded as if it was nothing, turned his gaze and looked around.

The sight of officials flinching away as his gaze reached them entered his field of vision, but Yeon So-hyeon wasn’t looking at them in the first place.

“Oh dear, Mother. Please open your eyes…”

“Father! Father!”

The sight of a wife shedding tears while holding her husband who had died with his head smashed.

The sight of family members wailing beside their father who couldn’t get up.

The sight of children not knowing what to do next to their mother who had collapsed and was writhing.

In the place swept away by the government soldiers, screams of sorrow, wailing, and grief remained.

“…….”

Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze turned to the bound members of the House of Compassion.

All the members of the House of Compassion, except for the armed forces that had retreated to avoid clashing with the government, were there.

The gaze of physician Noh, who was bleeding from the head and had a collapsed collarbone but had barely managed to stay conscious, met Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze.

‘Even though I told them to retreat first if something unexpected happened.’

They had been severely beaten and captured while protecting the poor people until the end.

“Eldest Young Master! Eldest Young Master! Please…”

Yeon So-hyeon looked at the commander of guards who couldn’t even let go of his desire to maintain his position and had no regret for his wrongful execution.

His shallow thought of believing that the matter would end if he fainted after being hit once like the other officers seemed pathetic.

“The warning is over.”

Yeon So-hyeon tapped his shoulder and turned around.

“Urgh..?!”

Behind Yeon So-hyeon, who turned around and took steps, the commander of guards fell to his knees.

Dark red blood poured from his mouth, and his body convulsed uncontrollably.

It was because a terrible hidden energy had instantly destroyed his danjeon and torn his meridians throughout his body.

Yanggabijeom, Hwangroetongcheonpo.

The Hwangroetongcheonpo no longer retained any of its original form.

Although he didn’t die instantly due to Yeon So-hyeon’s control, he would have to spend the rest of his life as a cripple.

“…….”

Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze turned to the government soldiers.

The government soldiers, who were standing blankly, unable to do anything, were all holding wooden clubs stained with blood.

Their number easily exceeded a hundred.

Yeon So-hyeon’s mouth opened.

“Suppress them all and drive them out!”

The shout filled with internal energy was no different from a signal flare itself.

The armed forces of the House of Compassion, who had temporarily retreated and were hiding and waiting, began to pour out onto the street.

“Wh-what-?!”

A government soldier tried to respond clumsily but was hit by an iron-reinforced staff and collapsed.

The government soldiers tried to respond somehow, but they were not a military force, just a mere security force.

Although the numbers were similar, the armed forces of the House of Compassion, whose equipment level was different from the beginning, began to beat them one-sidedly.

“Th-these crazy bastards…?! Attacking government soldiers is no different from a rebellion!”

One of the middle-ranking commanders shouted with a trembling voice.

As he said, attacking government soldiers was a serious crime treated as treason, but the armed forces of the House of Compassion, following their leader’s orders, had no hesitation.

The middle-ranking commander, who was overwhelmed by them, curled up his body without even being able to scream under the pouring blows.

“Gather in the corner!”

“Form a formation!”

Some government soldiers tried to respond by forming a formation in the corner as they had been trained, but two people rushed in and crushed their formation in an instant.

“You bastards! Did you think you could get away with beating up innocent people?!”

“Hey! Instead of shouting, beat up one more of them!”

It was Su-ran and Guard Cheongho.

Wherever they moved with excitement, government soldiers flew into the air and rolled on the ground.

Seeing that sight, the middle-ranking commanders in the rear screamed.

“R-retreat!”

***

“Uh, uhh…?!”

The Lee clan’s district head of Cheong-hak District, who had lost consciousness, regained his senses after being doused with water mixed with filth.

But for some reason, his body was tightly bound, and he couldn’t even properly lift his head.

‘Wh-what’s going on-?’

Before he could even grasp the situation, Yeon So-hyeon’s voice reached his ears.

“What are you doing? Since he has regained consciousness, continue the execution.”

Hearing his voice, the district head could recall the situation he was in.

He was tied to a torture rack that the security forces hadn’t even taken care of and had left him there.

And….

“Five strokes!”

With a smacking sound, the Lee clan district head’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, and his body, tied to the torture rack, twisted as if convulsing.

“Six strokes!”

The sixth club strike hit his buttocks.

“Ungh…”

If it weren’t for the filthy gag in his mouth, all his teeth would have already been broken.

“Seven strokes!”

Watching the scene from a distance, a chuckle escaped from the lips of physician Noh, the branch head of the House of Compassion’s Hodu Village branch.

“What’s an old man on the verge of death laughing about?”

The old shrine maiden who was providing first aid frowned.

She was another branch head of the Hodu Village branch who had led the relocation of the poor people who had left earlier and returned.

“Tsk. You’re a doctor yourself, yet you’re receiving treatment…”

Physician Noh kept laughing regardless of whether the old shrine maiden clicked her tongue in disgust.

Besides them, medical support personnel who had gathered following Yeon So-hyeon’s orders were taking care of the injured.

They could also see the poor people being relocated according to the original plan.

“Eight strokes!”

***

The government soldiers, who had been captured like prisoners, ran to the Lee clan’s residence carrying the nearly unconscious Lee clan district head and the commander of guards.

Su-ran and Guard Cheongho waved their hands to see them off, but their hearts were not at ease.

They approached Yeon So-hyeon, who was giving orders here and there at the scene.

“Eldest Young Master.”

A smile no different from usual appeared on the lips of Yeon So-hyeon, who turned to look at them.

“Both of you, did you vent your anger to your heart’s content?”

“Yes, thanks to you… N-no, that’s not it.”

They hurriedly shook their heads after reflexively nodding at his words.

“Is it okay to just send those bastards away like that?”

To Su-ran’s question, Yeon So-hyeon answered as if it was unexpected.

“Wouldn’t it become too complicated if we kill them?”

At those words, the two of them jumped.

“Killing a high-ranking official?!”

“That’s not what we meant!”

Yeon So-hyeon burst into laughter at their reaction.

He had made a joke, but he couldn’t possibly not understand the intention behind their words.

“I’m well aware of your concerns.”

The officials had all taken a stiff attitude because touching the public authority would bring great repercussions.

“Not only did you drive them away, but you also made them nearly unconscious…”

“Moreover, both the commander of guards and the district head are from the Lee clan, aren’t they?”

Yeon So-hyeon nodded at their concerns.

“You’re right. If we just sit back and give our enemies a great justification like this, we’ll be bitten one-sidedly.”

Sensing something from his words, Su-ran asked again.

“Does that mean you have a way…?”

The smile on Yeon So-hyeon’s lips deepened.

“I’m going to invade the Lee clan right now and pull out even their last pillar.”

The two of them reflexively took a step back at the chilling killing intent.

Su-ran, who had a dumbfounded expression at Yeon So-hyeon’s words, spoke.

“…You’re going to bring down the Lee clan?”

“Not only that district head bastard but the entire Lee clan has joined hands with that Second Young Master bastard.”

His eyes flashed.

“This is a war between me and that Second Young Master bastard.”

Yeon So-hyeon turned his gaze towards the poor people moving in a line in the distance.

“And in this war, beating the district head bastard’s buttocks a little is just the beginning.”