Chapter: 20
The vibrant night view of Hefei outside the window stood in stark contrast to the room, where an aura as sharp as drawn blades filled the air.
The members of the Black Wind Unit gripped their sword hilts tightly as they glared at the intruder.
Every one of them had reached the Peak Realm, while their commander, Ak Mu-gyeol, was a master who had entered the Mature Transcendent Realm.
Against a youth who had barely passed twenty, it was more than enough force.
Yet instead of ordering an attack, Ak Mu-gyeol gave an unexpected command to his deputy standing behind him.
“Everyone, withdraw.”
“…Commander!”
The deputy’s eyes widened in shock.
Why had they come all the way to Hefei in the first place?
Wasn’t it because Namgung Cheon, the Sword Ghost, had wiped out the Blood Sword Division of the Four Black Alliance without permission and thrown the underworld order of Anhui into chaos?
Weren’t they here to make him pay for that arrogant provocation?
And yet, now that the man himself stood before them, they were being told to retreat.
It was beyond common sense.
“We don’t know what kind of scheme he’s planning!”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Ak Mu-gyeol’s voice was firm.
He knew.
His subordinates were not wrong.
But…
…He wasn’t shaken by my aura at all.
The moment Namgung Cheon appeared, Ak Mu-gyeol had secretly directed a blade-like wave of killing intent solely at him.
An invisible pressure that none of his subordinates could detect.
A razor-sharp wave of qi aimed only at Namgung Cheon.
Even someone who had just broken into the Transcendent Realm would have had their knees weaken under that pressure.
Yet Namgung Cheon had not moved even an inch.
That means…
At the very least, he was on the same level as himself.
Or perhaps even stronger.
If a fight broke out, his men would only become a burden.
Realizing he could not overturn his commander’s decision, the deputy hesitated briefly before bowing.
“…I obey.”
He signaled to the Black Wind Unit.
Once every member had left the room, Ak Mu-gyeol finally spoke.
“I’ll admit you’ve got courage. Now tell me why you’ve come.”
“Weren’t you the one who had business with me first? I heard you were looking for me.”
Namgung Cheon answered calmly.
“That’s true.”
Ak Mu-gyeol admitted it without hesitation.
“I wanted to know why you swung your sword as you pleased. Whether it was the will of the Namgung Clan… or merely the reckless arrogance of an overconfident brat.”
“And have you found your answer?”
“I’m still looking.”
After studying Namgung Cheon for a moment, Ak Mu-gyeol asked directly,
“Answer me. Are your actions the will of the Namgung Clan?”
Namgung Cheon chuckled softly.
“If the clan itself had moved, do you think you’d still be sitting here leisurely drinking tea?”
“…”
After a brief silence, Ak Mu-gyeol slowly nodded.
I see. So this is his own affair.
But even so, he couldn’t simply lay a hand on Namgung Cheon.
No matter if only one sect under the Four Black Alliance had fallen—
The Namgung Clan… no… he himself might move.
The Sword Emperor, Namgung Mu-gang.
Ak Mu-gyeol recalled the report.
The timing of the Sword Emperor’s return after years of seclusion strangely overlapped with the appearance of his son, Namgung Cheon, in the martial world.
Could that really be coincidence?
Touching Namgung Cheon might be enough to draw out the Sword Emperor.
That would be the very worst-case scenario their strategist had repeatedly warned them about.
The Sword Emperor.
The man hailed as the greatest swordsman under heaven.
Turning such an existence into an enemy was unthinkable.
Before departing, the strategist of the Alliance had given a strict order.
Confirm the truth.
Never provoke a conflict first.
Above all else, do not give the Namgung Clan—or more precisely, the Sword Emperor—any excuse to act.
Moreover, the truth they had uncovered here was no different from the rumors.
The Third Young Master of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Cheon, fought an official duel, and after losing its commander, the Blood Sword Division destroyed itself.
Destroyed itself.
There was nothing in that description that could justify pressuring the Namgung Clan.
The moment Ak Mu-gyeol finished calculating the situation, Namgung Cheon spoke.
“Now that you’ve gotten your answer, it’s your turn to answer mine.”
He got straight to the point.
“You came because the tribute payments stopped.”
Ak Mu-gyeol nodded.
“And?”
“I’ve already put someone new in place. They’re called the Geumjeon Guild.”
“…What exactly are you planning?”
Suspicion colored Ak Mu-gyeol’s voice.
Namgung Cheon looked at him for a moment.
Then he raised one corner of his lips.
“Is what I’m planning really that important to you?”
“…”
Ak Mu-gyeol’s brow twitched.
Namgung Cheon continued.
“As long as you receive what was promised, isn’t that enough? Trying to know more than that is overstepping your authority.”
The words overstepping your authority caused Ak Mu-gyeol’s gaze to turn icy.
This brat was openly insulting both him and the authority of the Four Black Alliance.
Anger surged within him.
Yet he did not act rashly.
Instead, he carefully considered Namgung Cheon’s words.
What was promised.
He meant the tribute.
Regardless of the process, if the Geumjeon Guild resumes paying tribute, the Alliance gains tangible benefits.
Making an enemy of Namgung Cheon now would gain them neither profit nor justification.
It would simply be an emotional reaction.
Exactly the kind of mistake the strategist had warned against.
He says it’s a personal matter, but he’s still a Namgung by blood.
If he acted emotionally here and harmed Namgung Cheon, Namgung Mu-gang would surely respond somehow.
Furthermore, Namgung Cheon had already prepared a replacement organization.
There was no real choice left.
“…It certainly sounds appealing.”
After a long silence, Ak Mu-gyeol finally spoke.
Still, he did not yield so easily.
“But why should I believe you? How do we know this Geumjeon Guild, which no one’s ever heard of, will actually pay tribute? Or that you won’t simply pocket everything yourself? All we’re getting is an uncertain promise. If things go wrong, wouldn’t the authority of the Four Black Alliance only suffer?”
It was a reasonable objection.
Yet the smile never left Namgung Cheon’s face.
“Authority…”
He looked out the window briefly before meeting Ak Mu-gyeol’s eyes again.
“If that situation ever comes to pass, I’ll tell you how to strengthen your authority instead.”
“…?”
“If the Geumjeon Guild refuses to pay tribute, or if the amount displeases you, then kill every one of them.”
Ak Mu-gyeol wondered if he’d heard correctly.
“You’re telling us to kill the people you put in place?”
“That’s right. Wouldn’t that become an excellent example? Your authority would only grow stronger.”
Namgung Cheon continued in an indifferent tone.
“And if that happens, I’ll simply find someone else to pay the tribute. Well? Does it still seem as though the Four Black Alliance’s authority would suffer?”
Ak Mu-gyeol was speechless.
The Namgung Clan, the righteous pillar beneath the blue heavens.
And yet one of its young masters casually discussed tribute payments and the authority of the Four Black Alliance as though it were nothing.
It made no sense.
Just what kind of man is he…
Ak Mu-gyeol used every ounce of his judgment to reevaluate the man before him.
The reports had been accurate.
Barely past twenty, he had already reached the Transcendent Realm.
He had forced every powerful figure in Hefei to kneel.
That alone was enough to call him a monster.
But…
…There’s something about him that can’t be explained by martial prowess alone.
Those unfathomable eyes.
That overwhelming presence, as though he looked down upon the entire world.
Countless masters he had encountered flashed through his mind.
There had been geniuses who achieved astonishing martial prowess at a young age.
Most of them devoted themselves solely to their swords.
That was the only way to reach the Transcendent Realm.
But Namgung Cheon was different.
He possessed not only overwhelming strength.
He was trying to move everyone around him—including Ak Mu-gyeol himself—exactly as he wished.
Rather than a martial artist…
He was closer to a ruler.
Suddenly, one particular figure came to mind.
The Young Alliance Lord…
The Young Alliance Lord, called the future of the Alliance, had also entered the Transcendent Realm at a young age.
But the Young Alliance Lord Ak Mu-gyeol remembered resembled a perfectly honed blade.
He would rather break than bend.
The arrogance typical of young geniuses.
Namgung Cheon possessed none of that arrogance.
Instead, he carried an absolute composure, as though he had never even considered the possibility of bending or breaking.
As if the entire world already rested in the palm of his hand.
A quality the Young Alliance Lord never possessed.
After a long silence, Ak Mu-gyeol finally admitted the truth.
He was facing someone beyond his understanding.
And in this conversation…
He could never win.
He slowly lifted his teacup.
The tense pressure surrounding him gradually faded.
“…I’ll accept your proposal.”
“Then our discussion is over.”
The moment those words were spoken, Namgung Cheon stood up.
He was already walking away.
Watching his retreating back, Ak Mu-gyeol asked one final question.
“…What do you gain from all this?”
The tribute would go to the Four Black Alliance.
The Geumjeon Guild would naturally dominate Anhui’s underworld by paying that tribute.
So what did Namgung Cheon, the man who had orchestrated all of this, actually gain?
For Ak Mu-gyeol, it was the one thing he absolutely had to know.
Only by understanding his true objective could he prepare for what came next.
Namgung Cheon stopped walking.
Without turning around, he answered quietly.
“You really insist on asking pointless questions until the very end.”
“…”
Ak Mu-gyeol’s expression stiffened at the dismissal.
Ignoring him entirely, Namgung Cheon resumed walking.
When he reached the door, he stopped once more without looking back.
“I decided it would be so.”
“And so it became.”
With those final words, Namgung Cheon left the room.
“…”
Left alone, Ak Mu-gyeol remained seated for a long time.
He silently repeated Namgung Cheon’s last words.
I decided it would be so… and so it became…
An incomprehensible answer.
Yet at the same time, the clearest answer imaginable.
He had simply done it because it was his will.
Nothing more.
But…
If someone can truly shape everything according to their will… then that is…
At that moment, the deputy’s voice came from outside.
“May I come in?”
“…Come.”
The deputy entered cautiously and looked at Ak Mu-gyeol, now alone.
“What is the situation…?”
“End the investigation.”
Looking out the window, Ak Mu-gyeol continued,
“We return to headquarters tomorrow morning.”
“But… those weren’t the strategist’s orders…”
The deputy looked bewildered.
Returning before the investigation was complete was an obvious mission failure.
The Black Wind Unit had never failed a mission before.
“The situation has changed.”
Ak Mu-gyeol answered briefly.
“I’ll deliver the report personally.”
The deputy bowed without asking another question.
There had to be a reason behind his commander’s decision.
After the deputy quietly left, Ak Mu-gyeol picked up a brush.
He intended to send a letter to the Alliance’s strategist.
He did not write a single line about the conflict among Anhui’s underworld sects.
Nor about the Geumjeon Guild, the new source of tribute.
Those things can be reported after I return. Right now…
He first wrote three characters.
Namgung Cheon .
Then, beside that name, he added the conclusion he had reached.
The Heaven of Namgung.
The strategist would understand everything from those two short lines alone.
The emergence of Namgung Cheon—
a natural calamity made flesh.
And that he must become the Alliance’s highest-priority subject of observation.
