CRD 09

Chapter 09

“Get up.”

“Kuh!”

Startled, Jang-gu shot up.

Seeing Mo Yongcheon’s eyes glowing in the dark, he immediately fell flat to the ground.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“For what?”

“……Huh?”

“Stop babbling and carry that pig over there.”

“Yes, sir!”

There was no hesitation at all.

Even limping on one leg, Jang-gu quickly hoisted Ga-hang onto his back and stood at attention. His face was even more disheveled than when they were in the alley, but the look in his eyes was resolute.

‘Tch!’

Ga-hang, lying on his subordinate’s back, couldn’t even let out a groan.

Mo Yongcheon smacked the back of his head and asked,

“Far?”

“……No, sir.”

“Knew it. Cowards like you wouldn’t hide their wealth somewhere far away.”

The humiliation was immense. Yet, there was nothing to argue against—it wasn’t even wrong. Of course, even if it were wrong, it wouldn’t have been the time to dispute it.

“Let’s go, Gaedong.”

“Yes, sir!”

And so the three of them passed through the small opening behind the residence and reached a tiny forest.

No people, not even animals, came here. Since it connected directly to the hill behind the residence, it took less than half an hour on foot for an adult to get there.

“Bury it in the ground?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Pathetic imagination. So where exactly?”

Ga-hang trembled as he pointed to a small tree.

“Over there.”

“Under that rock?”

“Yes, sir.”

Truly a drunkard’s sense of judgment.

Mo Yongcheon nodded at Jang-gu.

“Parah.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jang-gu carefully lowered Ga-hang and pushed the rock aside with all his strength.

Even for someone his size, it was too heavy for an ordinary person with no internal skill to move. But Jang-gu pushed it with the resolve to die.

Thud.

By some grace of heaven, the rock rolled aside.

Beneath it, the soil stood out, barren of any weeds.

“Should I dig here?”

Strangely, Jang-gu asked Ga-hang, too scared to ask Mo Yongcheon directly.

Ga-hang glared at him as if he wanted to kill him and shouted,

“Yes, idiot! Right there, right there!”

“Yes, sir!”

In the face of greater fear, the authority of a superior was meaningless. Jang-gu dug with his bare hands vigorously.

Mo Yongcheon, folding his arms and watching the scene, frowned slightly.

‘It’s coming.’

Buzz.

A sharp pain pricked the side of his head, like being jabbed with a needle.

Having endured extreme headaches for decades, this level of pain was trivial. Yet this time, the pain wasn’t just pain—it meant something had begun.

‘Is it starting?’

Brain Gate Heart Technique.

Originally, he planned to complete the initiation in one room at the residence, but worried something might happen along the way, he had recited the hand seals while coming here.

Luckily, the initiation was easy. Back when he was young, he had spent a year mastering it through sheer effort, not knowledge. Now, with his talent—ranked among the top ten in the world—the initiation required less than half a breath.

‘I was going to dig and then start, but it’s happening naturally.’

Currently, this process was something he needed to go through before discovering this group’s hideout. But since they had found the place faster than expected, he had partially entered the initiation, effectively neutralizing Ga-hang.

‘This reckless martial art… still catlike in temperament.’

Vwoooosh!

The “Indang Point” (印堂穴) between his eyebrows slowly started to open.

Mo Yongcheon leaned against a tree.

And then.

Twitch!

It felt like the needle in his head pierced through and came out the other side.

Dizziness hit him briefly, but he gritted his teeth and steadied his legs.

It wasn’t for anyone’s sake—if his body couldn’t endure even the initiation, nothing else would be possible.

Whoosh.

The external energy entering the Indang Point swirled chaotically through his brain.

Mo Yongcheon’s body trembled violently. Though invisible, it felt as if a ghost had its hands inside, kneading his brain.

‘Damn it!’

The sense of alienness was more terrifying than the pain.

The first time he learned this, he had fainted for two days. He had been too young to withstand it.

But now was different.

Fwoooosh.

The abundant external energy settled in his brain, and the Baihui (百會) point on the crown of his head gradually opened, expelling all accumulated turbid energy.

He absorbed the energy through the Indang, refined it internally, and expelled the impurities through Baihui.

No study in the world taught this. Many who attempted it became lunatics or died, just from the initiation.

But having mastered the Brain Gate Heart Technique, he could control the energy perfectly, even with incomplete hand seals and incantations.

‘Don’t get in my way—move it along!’

Buzz! Buzz!

His ears felt stuffed. The unbroken stream of energy filled his brain. Once full, Mo Yongcheon quickly closed the Indang Point.

He controlled the opening and closing of the acupoints at will. His will had become one with the Brain Gate Heart Technique.

Khaaaah!

With Baihui slightly wider, all impurities were expelled.

Cold sweat poured from his body. Even blood flowed from his nose.

Finally.

Flash!

Mo Yongcheon’s eyes glinted with an even stronger intensity.

‘Done!’

The first stage of the Brain Gate Heart Technique, Soul-burning Method One (燒魂一法), was complete.

Soul-burning Method One absorbs pure natural energy, burns away impurities, expands blood vessels, and maximizes brain activation.

An activated brain meant enhanced focus and mental control. Naturally, he could manipulate energy (qi) at will.

Even the greatest geniuses needed to feel energy before mastering internal power. That process, even if brief, usually took weeks to a month, and mastering energy circulation could take years.

But a practitioner of the Brain Gate Heart Technique could control energy freely from that moment, drastically shortening the time.

Not only that.

Whoosh!

He grabbed a falling leaf with ease.

Though his shoulder muscles ached, his speed had noticeably increased. The Brain Gate Heart Technique allowed him to push his body beyond its limits.

“Phew.”

Wiping his nosebleed, Mo Yongcheon glanced at Jang-gu.

Jang-gu was staring blankly at him.

“What are you doing?”

“You… you suddenly groaned… and even bled from your nose.”

“Is your focus so weak you waste it like that? Hurry up and move.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jang-gu dug with incredible speed, like a dog scratching the ground.

Mo Yongcheon’s expression was indifferent as he looked down at Ga-hang.

Ga-hang’s face was full of resignation, fear, anger, and anxiety.

Mo Yongcheon smirked.

“Why? Feeling wronged?”

“……No.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not the one feeling wronged, am I?”

Ga-hang bit his lips, unable to curse at the reality.

But he had been wanting to ask something.

“One thing… may I ask you, sir?”

“I said I won’t kill you. Ask too much and I really will.”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

“Then what?”

Ga-hang hesitated.

“What… what technique did you use on my body… to make it like this?”

“Why? Planning to learn it and use it on your own body later?”

‘What kind of nonsense!’

“Of course not!”

Mo Yongcheon turned to Jang-gu again and said,

“It’s called Dimensional Acupoint Technique (點穴法).”

“Dimensional Acupoint Technique?”

“Exactly.”

Ga-hang’s jaw dropped.

It wasn’t the ignorance, but the fact that Mo Yongcheon had actually used the Dimensional Acupoint Technique.

‘This guy’s insane.’

Although basic acupoint techniques were common among martial families, only a few could master them. Using them without proper internal skill and martial knowledge was nearly impossible.

For someone like the eldest son of the Mo family to wield such a technique… unthinkable.

‘To think I’d fall victim to this madman.’

He might have thought it was poison. Tears of frustration welled up. Had he not drunk, he wouldn’t be in this state.

Then.

“Gah! Sir!”

“What? Is it out?”

“Yes, sir!”

Jang-gu strained and pulled out a large bundle.

Ga-hang felt the sky go dark. Even though he had given up, seeing all his carefully hidden wealth removed completely shattered him.

Thud!

It was heavy, easily over ten gwan in weight.

“Open it.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Jang-gu obediently untied the bundle, his eyes widened.

Mo Yongcheon peeked behind him and grinned.

“Ga-hang, right?”

“……Yes.”

“Well done. I’m more than satisfied!”

The bundle contained silver ingots, gold pieces, and bills in fifties of one-hundred-nyang denominations.

‘No!’

His older brother, along with Mo Suk of the Black Tiger Gang, had been collecting this. All of it was about to vanish. At that moment, Mo Yongcheon couldn’t tell if the liquid in his eyes was tears or blood.

He checked the bills and silver ingots himself.

“Everything’s accounted for. The bills are neatly bundled into small amounts. Aside from a few gold pieces and trinkets, no issues.”

Standing straight, he spoke to Jang-gu.

“Bring your superior here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jang-gu carried Ga-hang to the pit.

Ga-hang’s face turned pale.

“You said you’d spare me!”

“I will.”

Whack!

Ga-hang was knocked unconscious with a blow to the back of the head.

Mo Yongcheon looked at Jang-gu.

“This one I spared. What about you?”

Jang-gu immediately fell to the ground.

“Please spare me, sir!”

“Have you not seen enough today?”

“I swear I won’t tell anyone! I’ll leave this town entirely!”

“Really?”

Mo Yongcheon placed three silver ingots in Jang-gu’s hand.

“You’ll need spending money if you’re running away.”

Jang-gu looked at him in gratitude. Though he had been beaten repeatedly, Mo Yongcheon still had some generosity.

“You really have no choice but to leave.”

“Eh?”

“Because I spared that guy. If he regains consciousness, won’t he target you first before me?”

“……!”

“Even if Ga-hang dies, it’s a problem. Later, if the Black Tiger Gang sends someone to investigate, do you think you’ll survive?”

Jang-gu turned pale as he finally understood his situation.

“If you want to live, run now. Don’t even come near this town or Ho-buk Province.”

“Thank you!”

Jang-gu ran like his life depended on it.

Mo Yongcheon chuckled and rummaged through the bundle again.

“Let’s see…”

He dropped a few gold pieces and some jewel-encrusted valuables into the pit.

‘Came to extort a few thousand nyang, but what a windfall!’

Without hesitation, he tied up the bundle and smashed Ga-hang’s jaw with a sharp rock.

Crack!

Even unconscious, Ga-hang flinched in pain.

Perhaps being unconscious was better. With his jaw broken and the speech acupoint torn, he would be unable to speak for a long time.

“Farewell.”

Carrying the bundle, Mo Yongcheon waddled away.

The cold wind brushed past Ga-hang’s unconscious body.