Absolute Dominion

Chapter 33

◈ Absolute Dominion

Chapter- 33

Her youthful eyes possessed an ethereal beauty, but there was a cold aura emanating from her that made her difficult to approach.

Gu Ik-Hwan’s face turned pale.

“Everyone, step back.”

It was clear that he was terrified of the masked woman. She was undoubtedly the one who had left him in such a state.

The woman spoke with a mocking tone.

“You’ve managed to crawl all the way here.”

Despite the mask concealing her identity, it seemed that her tone matched that of someone similar to Cha-Ryun in age.

Everyone was a bit taken aback. Not only had this woman, masked in broad daylight, chased Gu Ik-Hwan all the way here, but she also appeared to be around their age.

“To use such monstrous cruelty… who are you?”

“Who am I? First, tell me, who are you?”

“I am Yang Su-Chang. The martial world knows me as the Southern Jade Dragon.”

She scoffed before speaking.

“It’s quite brazen to call yourself the Jade Dragon, how utterly shameless.”

Yang Su-Chang’s face reddened slightly, but he found himself strangely drawn to the masked woman. Her hidden face only added to her mysterious allure.

“And who might you be, young lady?”

Yang Su-Chang asked again. This time, the woman responded coldly.

“That’s none of your concern. If you hand over that man, the rest of you will be able to leave here alive.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Four of the young talents blocked Gu Ik-Hwan’s front.

The woman snorted as if it were ridiculous.

Chaaang!

The woman drew her sword.

Wooong!

The sword vibrated and began to emit a brilliant white light.

The four young talents gasped in shock.

“Could it be… sword qi?”

Indeed, her sword was infused with sword qi.

Both Lim Ha-Gi and Yang Su-Chang’s expressions hardened.

Despite their upbringing with the best elixirs and education, they had yet to reach such mastery in sword qi.

Yet here was a woman, seemingly their age, showing a level of mastery where she could sustain sword qi within her blade. This level of mastery was several times more difficult than simply emitting sword qi.

It was now clear why Gu Ik-Hwan had been so terrified.

From among the spectators, Jeok Lee-Gun grinned and casually remarked.

“Not bad.”

Not bad? No, this was an extraordinary feat.

Cha-Ryun sighed quietly. Judging by her eyes and voice, the woman was probably around her own age. Yet Cha-Ryun herself couldn’t even come close to generating sword intent, let alone sword qi.

“Are you jealous?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry. Your potential is far greater.”

That’s easy for you to say. Huh? Wait, how do you know my potential is greater?

At that moment, someone else appeared before the startled young talents.

Swish.

A masked man emerged as if from thin air. From the revealed part of his eyes, his age was impossible to determine.

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Shiiiing.

He drew his sword.

The woman’s expression stiffened as she realized the masked man’s skill was formidable. She could tell just from the way he drew his blade.

Then, another figure emerged from the crowd.

A middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat, who had been standing among the spectators, quietly spoke.

“Let’s stop this now.”

The aura of the middle-aged man was also extraordinary.

With the unexpected appearance of two formidable masters, Cha-Ryun was puzzled.

“Who are they?”

“Who else? They’re the secret guards protecting those privileged brats.”

“Secret guards?”

“Did you really think those precious heirs would be wandering around the martial world without any protection?”

“Ah!”

Cha-Ryun finally understood. Of course, with the heirs of the Northern Sky Clan, the Southern Peak Alliance, the Sama Clan, and Green Water Clan all present, it wouldn’t be surprising if an entire legion of secret guards were lurking nearby.

The woman’s eyes flashed with dangerous intent.

Her gaze swept across the inn, as if searching for something or someone else.

When she spotted more secret guards, she sneered. She had identified the secret guards for both Sama Young and Seol Byeok-Hwa as well. These were formidable individuals hidden among the onlookers.

But the woman showed no sign of fear or hesitation.

Her gaze stopped when it met Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes, who was sitting on the stairs beyond the crowd.

Jeok Lee-Gun waved at her with a mischievous grin.

A spark of interest flashed in her eyes.

Then, without a word, she turned away.

Whoosh.

The woman vanished through the same window she had entered.

None of the guards pursued her. The masked man who had appeared first also disappeared, and the middle-aged man in the bamboo hat quietly melted into the crowd.

Lim Ha-Gi and Yang Su-Chang, with regained confidence, wore triumphant expressions. Those two had been none other than their personal guards.

Just then, Sama Young cried out in shock.

“Master Gu! Master Gu!”

Everyone gathered around Gu Ik-Hwan. A collective sigh of regret filled the air.

Gu Ik-Hwan had already succumbed to death.

As the crowd lamented, Sama Young suddenly shouted again.

“Look at this!”

She was pointing to the floor. Before his death, Gu Ik-Hwan had left a bloody character behind.

燕

It was unmistakably the character for “swallow.”

“What could it mean?”

Seol Byeok-Hwa tried to decipher its meaning.

“Perhaps it’s the name of the criminal.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Regardless, the unexpected incident had completely dampened Yang Su-Chang’s enthusiasm for his fight with Jang In-Gyeol.

Yang Su-Chang left the inn with Seol Byeok-Hwa shortly afterward, and the crowd soon dispersed as well.

Jeok Lee-Gun and Cha-Ryun also blended into the crowd and stepped outside.

“Give me my money.”

“What?”

“The fight ended in a draw, right?”

They didn’t even fight in the first place!

Cha-Ryun wanted to protest but ended up handing over the money. After all, the result had been a draw, and the bet had been in her favor to begin with.

Jeok Lee-Gun’s grin stretched wide.

In contrast, Cha-Ryun’s mood was slightly dampened.

It wasn’t because of the lost money, but because of the secret guards she had seen earlier.

Those people lived in a world far removed from her own. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of alienation.

Jeok Lee-Gun made a casual remark.

“What? Are you jealous of those guards from earlier?”

Wow, this guy really is more perceptive than he looks.

“More than being jealous…”

“Don’t be jealous. You already have a great guard by your side.”

“Who?”

Jeok Lee-Gun grinned and spoke.

“Me! I’m the one protecting you.”

What? If anything, I’m the one protecting you!

“We need to start preparing.”

Lim Mu-Yeol was taking the situation seriously.

“Take a look at this.”

What Lim Mu-Yeol presented was a sword.

“It’s one of the swords delivered by the Samhwa Iron Workshop this time.”

Jeong Lee-Chu furrowed his brow as he carefully inspected the weapon.

“It’s of the lowest quality.”

“Yes, more than seventy percent of the delivered swords are unusable.”

“Are you serious?”

Jeong Lee-Chu was shocked. It wasn’t uncommon for a few poor-quality swords to slip through, but seventy percent of them?

“Are you saying that the Samhwa Iron Workshop did this deliberately?”

“It seems likely that the Palm Heart Clan applied pressure on them. This is causing significant unrest among the disciples of the Blue Gate.”

Jeong Lee-Chu felt a wave of unease. Since inheriting the Righteous Sword Sect, he had led a relatively peaceful life without any major conflicts. There hadn’t been any particularly memorable battles.

But after the incident at the Spring Breeze Inn, Jeong Lee-Chu had been preparing for a confrontation with the Palm Heart Clan. If they were going to act so blatantly…

If there was no way to avoid it, then he would have to fight. It was not something he wished to do, but there was no other option.

As was often the case in the martial world, victory would determine everything. Even if they died unjustly, there would be no one to complain to.

Sensing Jeong Lee-Chu’s wavering resolve, Lim Mu-Yeol spoke with confidence.

“If we prepare properly, we won’t be easily defeated by them.”

But Jeong Lee-Chu thought that not falling easily wouldn’t be enough. Whether they struggled fiercely or not, defeat was still defeat.

Lim Mu-Yeol continued in a more cautious tone.

“I believe we should seek external assistance.”

He spoke carefully, knowing this could wound Jeong Lee-Chu’s pride.

Jeong Lee-Chu remained silent, staring down at the table.

“Then, I will take my leave.”

After offering a polite bow, Lim Mu-Yeol left the room.

Walking down the corridor, Lim Mu-Yeol let out a small sigh. To be honest, in his younger years, he hadn’t liked Jeong Lee-Chu. Their personalities always clashed. Lim Mu-Yeol wanted to live boldly, while Jeong Lee-Chu had always been overly cautious to the point of being timid.

But as time passed, Lim Mu-Yeol came to understand him. The biggest reason was that he had realized that living wildly like a mad horse in the martial world ultimately led to ending up with nothing.

Now, Lim Mu-Yeol no longer saw Jeong Lee-Chu’s pursuit of self-cultivation as cowardice. The reason Lim Mu-Yeol had remained with the Righteous Sword Sect for so long, instead of leaving it behind, was because of his changing perspective. Although they had been lucky so far, things were beginning to change.

Could Jeong Lee-Chu withstand the pressure this time?

At the end of the corridor, Hwa-Ryun greeted him.

Sometimes, the way she tirelessly worked to protect the sect seemed pitiful to him. She was certainly intelligent, but that alone wasn’t enough. In a small sect like theirs, everything was ultimately decided by martial prowess. A brilliant strategist only shines when they have the strength to back them up.

Hwa-Ryun entered Jeong Lee-Chu’s room.

“Mu-Yeol just left.”

Jeong Lee-Chu informed her about the situation with the Samhwa Iron Workshop.

Hwa-Ryun asked with a serious expression.

“So what did Elder Lim suggest?”

“He said we should seek outside help.”

It was a matter that needed to be handled with care.

Hwa-Ryun spoke gravely.

“The Palm Heart Clan’s movements have been suspicious lately.”

“What?”

“They’ve been summoning martial artists from outside as well.”

“You don’t think they’re targeting us, do you?”

Jeong Lee-Chu asked in surprise.

“I don’t think so. They wouldn’t dare do something like that with the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament and the Heavenly Dragon Tournament approaching.”

Hwa-Ryun and Jeong Lee-Chu couldn’t yet grasp the full situation with the Palm Heart Clan. After suffering significant losses from the robbery of the Ancient Sword Merchant Guild and the Secret Iron Workshop, the Palm Heart Clan was on high alert.

“However, they will likely resort to more underhanded and cowardly methods. Just looking at recent events makes that clear. After the tournaments are over, they might come after us more openly.”

Jeong Lee-Chu closed his eyes in contemplation once again.

The situation was worsening with each passing day.

Hwa-Ryun spoke cautiously.

“As Elder Lim suggested, now that things have come to this, I believe it’s right to seek help from elsewhere.”

“Do you really think there is someone who would help us?”

“Realistically, there’s only one option.”

Jeong Lee-Chu thought of a place, and it seemed Hwa-Ryun had the same idea.

“I think you should meet directly with the Dragon Tiger Sect Leader.”

“The Dragon Tiger Sect…”

“Rumor has it that they’ve also been struggling with pressure from the Palm Heart Clan. They wouldn’t refuse an alliance proposal from us.”

Jeong Lee-Chu agreed with her assessment.

“Do you think they’ll demand anything in return?”

“When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. They must know that they’ll be next if we fall.”

“Alright. Let’s proceed as you suggest.”

They discussed the matter further, ironing out the finer details.

As Hwa-Ryun was about to leave the room, she suddenly remembered something and asked.

“What do you plan to do about Young Master Jeok? I heard from Hyang Lee that he and Cha-Ryun have already registered for the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament.”

“You know how stubborn the two of them are.”

“So you’re just going to let this happen?”

Of course, that wasn’t his intention. If Cha-Ryun attended the Young Dragon and Phoenix Tournament with Jeok Lee-Gun and ended up being humiliated, it would greatly affect her prospects for marriage. Something had to be done to prevent such a scenario.

“I’ll have to come up with something.”

Hwa-Ryun let out a weary sigh.

“If this keeps up, something’s bound to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re still young. There’s no rule saying they won’t get attached to each other.”

“Hahaha! You really think Cha-Ryun would fall for Young Master Jeok?”

Jeong Lee-Chu laughed heartily before his expression turned serious.

“Do you think your sister is a fool?”

“Are you a fool?”

Jeok Lee-Gun teased as he looked at the weapon Cha-Ryun had chosen at the weapon shop.

“You really want to spend thirty nyang on that?”

The weapon she had chosen was a set of throwing daggers hanging on the wall. Six finely crafted daggers were neatly arranged in a luxurious leather sheath. Wearing it on her arm would look stylish, or so she thought.

“I’m not saying I’m buying it. As you know, I don’t have the money.”

Especially after losing that bet.

After emphasizing that she was broke, Cha-Ryun glanced longingly at the daggers again.

“Though… I’ve always wanted something like this.”