Chapter 28

“What a remarkable outburst. Remarkable indeed. It strikes me as the most memorable thing I’ve ever heard in my life. The words of a man without manners or scruples. But save such talk for when you’ve earned the right to say it.”

The retort finally slipped from Gu Yang-saeng’s lips. Returning to a calm expression, Gu Yang-saeng said.

“Let’s go inside and finish this conversation.”

As Gu Yangsheng headed toward the Galaxy Trading Company, Dan Wuseong called out to him.

“Gu Yangsheng, I never told you to leave. You can’t outrun me with your lightness skills, nor can you escape back to your family estate. Take responsibility for the words you spoke here.”

Gu Yangsheng could have entered the Galaxy Trading Guild to take hostages or carry out a massacre to keep his word.

Gu Yangsheng turned around.

“Didn’t I tell you? The Imperial Council stands behind me. I’ve already made my destination clear—I’m going to invite you. If things escalate, whose loss will it be?”

“You.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re weak.”

Dan Wooseong spread his arms wide to the left and right in front of Gu Yangsaeng. A popping sound echoed from his forearms. Dan Wooseong kept his gaze fixed as he cracked his neck back and forth.

Dan Wooseong smiled.

Gu Yangsheng asked.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I’m no saint. Beating scum like you is my greatest pleasure. A hobby I simply can’t give up, I suppose.”

Gu Yang-saeng stood there with a blank expression before suddenly appearing where Dan Woo-sung was.

He reached out to grab his shoulder, but Dan Wooseong turned his head, as if they had switched places, now occupying the spot Gu Yangsaeng had stood.

They sized each other up.

Gu Yangsheng then pushed off the ground, changed direction, and launched himself toward the Milky Way Merchant Guild using his lightness skill. With each step he took, he swiftly moved seven or eight paces while suspended in midair. After taking three strides, Gu Yangsheng stopped himself.

Dan Wuseong descended from the air and murmured softly.

“Looks like that rat is trying to escape.”

As the Great Prince of the Milky Way Merchant Guild faced off against the unfamiliar middle-aged man, people walking the streets scattered and hid like they were fleeing a sudden downpour. Yet, they all held their breath, peering at the two men from windows and alleyways.

Gu Yangsheng scanned his surroundings.

He was a man who always placed his own dignity above all else. For Gu Yangsheng, who had been making long-term plans to defeat the heads of the Five Great Families one by one, the Crown Prince of the Eunha Trading Guild was an unexpected test.

“Young Master…”

Gu Yangsheng opened his mouth as if to speak, then quietly drew in a breath. The torrent of words he’d been spouting wouldn’t come out. Instead, the palms of both his hands were turning a deep green.

Later, the poison technique secretly cultivated by the Fifth Great Clan to defeat their clan head was the Clam Poison Palm, a secret passed down only to the head of the Gu Yang Clan. Unable to completely rid himself of its poisonous energy, he suffered from constant headaches.

The poison palm was exceptionally efficient and lethal, but it came with the burden and side effect of requiring the user to continuously accumulate poison within their body. Using it was therefore a waste. The ideal approach would have been to take time to build up the poison each time the Five Great Sects defeated one of the family heads, but that plan had failed.

By bringing out his trump card, he acknowledged the Great Prince of the Eunha Trading Guild as a formidable opponent. Had he landed a strike or seized a body part even once, Gu Yangsheng would have won.

But this was merely Gu Yangsheng’s own calculation; it did not apply to Dan Wusheng.

Gu Yangsheng unleashed his footwork and charged at Dan Wuseong.

The moment Dan Woosung suspected Gu Yangsheng had ulterior motives, he stepped forward with a thunderous stomp.

Crack!

Gu Yang-saeng instinctively raised his hand to block, and Dan Woo-sung saw the poison-filled palm in his vision.

‘Poison palm…’

Then there was no need to alter his strategy.

Duk had faced Moo Hak many times in his past life.

When Gu Yangsheng recklessly unleashed his palm strikes and thrust out both palms, Dan Wuxing met them head-on with his own double palms.

With a sharp crack, four hands clamped down.

Gu Yangsheng tilted his head slightly and unleashed the Harmony Poison.

‘Is he an idiot…?’

Then Dan Woosung twisted his hands and locked them with Gu Yangsaeng’s.

The Harmony Poison and the Thunder Qi clashed.

Had he not reached the eighth level of the Ten Thousand Battles Ten Thousand Fingers technique, he would have opted for a more protracted battle. Dan Woosung’s hand was already drenched in White Lightning Thunder Qi. Every time the poison tried to penetrate his heart, it was scorched by lightning.

A musty odor quickly spread from Gu Yangsheng’s hands.

Gu Yangsheng’s eyes widened.

The two were facing each other at an extremely close distance.

As Gu Yangsheng opened his mouth to spit poison-laced saliva toward Dan Wuxing’s face, Dan Wuxing pulled Gu Yangsheng toward him and launched a headbutt.

Thud!

Gu Yangsheng’s head jerked back. Then, with a gulp, the saliva slid down his esophagus again.

Even amidst this, they were pouring out their internal energy.

Then, with a crunch, Gu Yangsheng’s finger snapped under Dan Wuxing’s crushing grip.

Regardless of whether he poured out his internal energy or not, Dan Woosung crushed Gu Yangsheng with the strength of both arms. Gu Yangsheng focused solely on his poison attack, while Dan Woosung countered with external force amidst his internal energy defense.

With another crunch, Gu Yangsheng’s wrist snapped. Then, as Dan Wuseong clenched his hand, Gu Yangsheng’s fingers curled inward like dough being pressed.

Gu Yang-saeng hadn’t uttered a single scream up to this point.

He was a man accustomed to pain, having trained in poison techniques.

But both his hands were already crushed beyond repair.

Dan Woosung finally released his grip, then looked at Gu Yang-saeng kneeling before him. He crouched down to meet his gaze.

Dan Woo-sung said.

“You’re weak.”

Gu Yangsheng retorted.

“Compared to you. You made me like this—what do you plan to do about the Emperor’s Assembly?”

“Is this the time to worry about me?”

“That’s not it. Hmm… My headache’s gone. I always had to vent my venom like this for the pain to fade. Growing stronger is truly a troublesome and messy business.”

“That’s because of your martial arts. It’s your fault for hoping for luck. Both your character and martial arts must have been at the bottom of the Imperial Martial Arts Association. So you were mocked. Why blame the son who returned defeated and the Duke of Guyang who was beaten to death?”

“Cut the nonsense and kill me.”

Dan Woosung asked, studying Gu Yangsaeng’s expression.

“Right here?”

Gu Yangsheng replied.

“This spot will do just fine.”

He seemed more afraid of losing face. Dan Wooseong shook his head.

“No. We must go to the Imperial Assembly together.”

“I beg you.”

“I have no reason to grant your request.”

“I don’t understand why you want to go to the Imperial Assembly.”

“Why ask when you already know? Go tell the Emperor’s Association what you said to me. If they still side with you, I’ll witness their true capabilities right there. How does that sound?”

Just as Gu Yangsheng opened his mouth to speak, Dan Wuseong grabbed him by the hair and dragged him toward the Galaxy Trading Guild.

As Gu Yangsheng was dragged along, he caught the glances of onlookers peering from all sides. When he tried to resist with his two perfectly good legs, Dan Wuseong unleashed a torrent of lightning from his hand.

“Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Dan Wooseong asked as he walked.

“What’s wrong… Did your headache flare up?”

Gu Yang-saeng fainted on the spot, unable to bear Dan Woo-seong’s mockery.

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.

.

Gu Yangsheng, who had fainted, flew in from the entrance of the Milky Way Pavilion and rolled across the floor three or four times.

Those waiting in the main hall rushed out.

“Master!”

The rushing figures halted.

Dan Wuxing, who had thrown Gu Yangsheng at the entrance of the Milky Way Merchant Guild, appeared and looked at the Gu Yang Clan’s warriors.

This time, the Galaxy Merchant Guild’s escort unit and the Twin Brothers surrounded Gu Yang-se’s warriors. The situation had escalated; once the Grand Prince’s order came down, they intended to kill them all.

Dan Woosung addressed Gu Yangsa’s men.

“Kneel. Judging by your expressions, you’ll want to end up like Gu Yang-saeng.”

As the youngest member of Mok In-seop’s escort team knelt down beside him, Mok In-seop smacked him on the back of the head.

“What are you doing?”

Gu Yang-sa asked as the warriors knelt.

“Is the master still alive?”

Dan Woo-seong replied.

“He is still alive. Mok In-seop, prepare a carriage outside. No driver is needed.”

“Understood.”

Dan Woosung addressed the Gu Yangse warriors.

“He threatened to wipe out our Eunhasa Trading Company and frame me as the culprit. You go to the Imperial Council and repeat what Gu Yang-saeng said to me.”

A man answered.

The Imperial Council does not have a separate headquarters like the Martial Alliance. It is a gathering place where the rulers—that is, the heads of the Four Great Clans—take turns hosting the Imperial Council.

“The closest location is the Murong Clan, correct?”

“That is correct.”

Though the Murong clan’s power base was traditionally known to be in Liaoning Province, the branch of the martial arts clan that had advanced into the Central Plains had established itself south of the Yangtze River.

Dan Wuxing said.

“Let’s go, to the Murong Clan.”

Li Huaian, who had been listening from behind, stepped forward and asked.

“Brother, is this alright? Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Dan Wuxing replied.

“Summarize today’s events concisely and relay them to the Martial Alliance. Include everything: what Gu Yanghou did, the duel with the Gu Yang princes, and the threats Gu Yangsheng made when he came here to intimidate me. He said he planned to wipe out the Galaxy Trading Company and then frame me for the crime. Also add that he threatened to use this as an excuse to force me into the Emperor’s Association.”

“Understood.”

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.

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Inside the rattling carriage, Dan Wuseong sat with his arms crossed, watching Gu Yang-sa and Gu Yang-saeng. It was a large carriage that could seat four, so beside Dan Wuseong sat the uninjured Gu Yang-sa.

The other two were driving the carriage.

In other words, Dan Wuseong was moving toward the Murong family alongside Gu Yangsheng, surrounded by Gu Yang’s men.

Coming to his senses, Gu Yangsheng asked.

“Where are we going?”

Dan Woosung replied.

“The Murong clan.”

Gu Yangsheng stared intently at the unharmed Gu Yang family warriors. As he signaled that he wanted them to do something, Dan Wuxing said.

“If Gu Yangsheng dies here, you’re useless too. I’ll kill you all. If you try to kill yourselves, I’ll stop you. I won’t give a second warning. Your lives are at stake.”

A man avoided Gu Yangsheng’s gaze and let out a small sigh.

Gu Yangsheng asked the man beside him.

“Give me some water.”

The man replied in a stiff tone.

“There is no water.”

“Go get some.”

Gu Yang-se glanced at Dan Woo-seong’s expression before responding.

“The young master probably won’t allow it.”

Dan Woosung spoke while stroking the head of the man beside him.

“Perhaps you men aren’t Gu Yang-se’s warriors after all. The head of the household asks for water, yet you refuse so coldly.”

Dan Woosung said, grabbing the man’s hair.

“…Were you an assassin?”

Danwooseong, having confirmed the man across from him change color, injected a bolt of lightning into the head of the man sitting beside him.

“Gwaaaaah!”

Amidst the carriage’s jolting and swaying, the man’s breath ceased.

“Waaaaaah…”

As the coachmen in front calmed the startled horses and brought the carriage to a halt, Dan Wooseong spoke softly.

“Let’s go. It’s nothing.”

As the carriage started moving again, Dan Wooseong asked the man sitting opposite him.

“I’m asking. Are you a hired assassin?”

The man replied with surprising simplicity.

“Yes.”

Dan Wooseong said, staring at the assassin.

“So you were planning to have the hired assassin clean things up if I didn’t cooperate. There’s an advantage to having an assassin. After you dealt with the Galaxy Trading Company, I would have been killed by Gu Yangsheng. It would have simplified matters. No need to worry about your families finding out about the dirty business you’d gotten into. That’s how the White Path works. You should understand.”

As Dan Woo-sung explained the situation, the assassin facing him glanced sideways at Gu Yang-saeng.

Dan Woosung addressed the assassin across from him.

“Three assassins, one cripple, one corpse. A perfect combination for traveling. Nice to meet you, assassin.”

“Yes.”

“Not pleased to meet me?”

“I am pleased.”

“Yeah.”

Dan Wooseong crossed his arms again, leisurely enjoying the carriage ride he hadn’t taken in a long time.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong

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