Chapter 8

He inflicted pain on one shoulder fairly, using his own strength.

In truth, the rule was that whoever screamed first lost, so Lee Ja-eon was already defeated. Yet the two clutched each other’s shoulders like affectionate brothers.

It was a heartwarming sight.

The moment they reunited, they stood with their hands on each other’s shoulders, gazing closely into each other’s faces.

Lee Jae-eon barely suppressed a groan before gripping the Crown Prince’s shoulder even tighter. It was too unfair and infuriating to lose to such a bastard.

Danwooseong’s voice continued calmly.

“Refrain from drawing your sword against family. And for you to personally injure the second son… No matter how much trouble I caused, Father never collapsed like that.”

Lee Ja-eon was holding back a scream that threatened to burst from between his lips.

“Ah…”

His entire body trembling violently, he wrenched his right hand free from the Crown Prince’s shoulder and swung a fist toward Dan Wooseong’s face. Enraged by losing the grip contest, he intended to at least knock the Crown Prince unconscious with a blow to the face.

With a thud, Dan Wooseong caught Lee Ja-eon’s flying fist with his left hand and said.

“Your temper, anyway…”

To Dan Wooseong, he looked like nothing more than a child, and a smile escaped him. Then, Dan Wooseong subtly infused the thunder energy of the Hundred Battles Ten Deaths Palm into his right hand.

“Guh… grr…”

A scream he’d held back wriggled its way out of Lee Ja-eon’s mouth. His entire body trembling, he knelt on the floor as Dan Woo-sung’s right hand pressed down on him.

Dan Wooseong looked down at Lee Jae-eon.

Making it crystal clear who was superior would make things easier. It would also allow him to finish the job without killing anyone.

Dan Wooseong injected his brain energy with an expressionless face until Lee Jae-eon drooled white saliva from between his lips. Only after Lee Jae-eon, who had been trembling violently all over, fell into a semi-unconscious state did Dan Wooseong withdraw his brain energy and speak.

“Third son.”

As if struck by lightning, Lee Ja-eon couldn’t respond, so Dan Woo-sung slapped his cheek as if to snap him out of it.

Smack!

“Ja-eon… Hey.”

Dan Wooseong was inwardly flustered too. Lee Ja-eon’s inner strength was weaker than expected, and he could have fainted right then. The human body has a somewhat funny quirk. In situations like this, a slap was the remedy.

“You bastard, snap out of it.”

With a smack, Lee Ja-eon’s head snapped back. He shook his head violently, finally coming to his senses. Lee Ja-eon took a deep breath.

“Huff.”

Crouching down, Danwooseong gripped Lee Jae-eon’s chin, scrutinizing his face from every angle before raising his right hand as if to slap his cheek again.

“Come to your senses…”

Lee Ja-eon retorted swiftly.

“I’m awake.”

The whip was indeed the cure.

Dan Wooseong lowered his hand and said.

“Thank goodness. I thought you were dead. The third son of the Eunha Trading Company, who trains harder than anyone in martial arts, shouldn’t die so pointlessly.”

Lee Ja-eon gasped for breath as he looked at his eldest brother.

Could this really be the same brother who had tormented him relentlessly since childhood? Of course, they had done it secretly, away from the adults, so it was a past known only to the brothers themselves.

Danwooseong also let out a sudden sigh.

As the memories of the Crown Prince flashed through his mind, watching Lee Ja-eon like this made him understand exactly what had happened between them. Dan Woo-seong, feeling unnecessarily irritated, slapped Lee Ja-eon’s cheek again.

Smack!

This time, the blow carried emotion, and blood streamed down from both sides of Lee Ja-eon’s nose.

Dan Wooseong said to Lee Ja-eon, who was dripping blood from his nose.

“Let’s settle the past with this. Third brother. Answer me quickly. Unless you want to get hit again.”

“Understood.”

“Watch your tone. Am I your friend?”

Lee Ja-eon wiped his nose and retorted.

“···Ah, understood.”

Lee Jae-eon knew that with such a gap in strength, he could die, and his emotions surged.

He had trained so diligently, only to be beaten by the elder brother who had looked down on him his entire life—it was no wonder he felt wronged.

But that ‘hard’ was hard by Lee Ja-eon’s standards; compared to Dan Woo-seong, who had roamed the vast martial world, it was nothing. It was like a newborn chick, a puppy unaware of the tiger’s fear.

Danwooseong already knew that Gu Yanghu had recommended Gongsun Ming, but he asked to confirm.

“Who brought Gongsun Ming here?”

“Who brought you here? What do you mean?”

Dan Woo-sung asked while studying Lee Ja-eon’s expression.

“Who hired him? Did someone introduce him?”

Lee Ja-eon answered without much thought, stating what he knew.

“Gongsun Ming was probably introduced by the head of the escort unit, Duke Gu Yang. I heard he recommended him because he’s skilled.”

Dan Woosung retorted.

“Are you sure? If you’re lying, don’t expect any brotherly affection from me—what little remains.”

“It’s true. The second brother would know too.”

“Did Gu Yanghou approach you two?”

“Nothing of the sort happened.”

“Understood. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Lee Ja-eon, suddenly feeling uneasy, asked.

“Why? Did something happen at the palace?”

“How did you pick your personal guards? They don’t seem to belong to the guard unit. Did you hire them?”

Lee Ja-eon trailed off as he answered.

“Ah, they’re retainers of the Gu Yang family recommended by Gu Yang-hu…”

While Lee Ja-eon was speaking, Dan Woo-sung struck his cheek again. Though the blow was weaker than before, a sharp smack echoed.

Lee Ja-eon asked, looking aggrieved.

“Why are you hitting me again?”

Dan Woosung said.

Third brother, get your head together. Are you planning to hand over the entire Eunha Trading Company to the Gu Yang family? Why are the people Gu Yang-hu has shoved in there constantly increasing within the company? We’re already paying them a considerable tribute, and now they’re even taking care of their monthly salaries? Is this right?”

Lee Ja-eon rubbed his cheek and widened his eyes. He wasn’t stupid. He sensed something off in his conversation with his eldest brother.

Lee Jae-eon knew his bodyguard had started the fight over something trivial, so it was only natural he felt even more annoyed. This was far more serious than getting punched by his brother and bleeding from the nose.

Before this, the matter with the Soseon faction had already soured his father’s mood, and now the Gu Yang family’s indifference was infuriating. As a merchant who valued credit above all else, his father detested this kind of response most of all.

As Dan Woo-sung rose, Lee Ja-eon urgently asked.

“How do you plan to respond?”

“If you’ve been colluding with the Gu family, I won’t stop at just cutting off your limbs. If you have anything to say, say it here and now. Before things escalate.”

Without a flicker of emotion, he spat out these words. Yi Ja-eon swallowed hard.

“What? There’s nothing like that. And there never will be. Why would the Eunha Trading Company belong to the Gu Yang family? It’s the business my father built. I won’t stand by and let others take it. I’ll be the first to step forward and kill them all. That’s why I’m training in martial arts.”

Dan Woo-sung grabbed Lee Ja-eon by the head as he spoke. This time, Dan Woo-sung’s eyes held a vicious, murderous glint.

“Brother, I hope that’s true.”

Only then did Lee Ja-eon feel a chill of fear. It felt like his eldest brother had come back completely mad.

“Yes…”

“You just keep training your martial arts diligently. Don’t concern yourself with anything else. I’ll handle the Gu Yang family. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Lee Ja-eon looked at his eldest brother.

What exactly did he mean by “handling” the Gu Yang family? He assumed it was because the Gu Yang family was a righteous sect, forcing them to resort to such methods. With the martial world watching, they couldn’t swallow him whole like a snake, so they had to use these tactics.

Whether the Gu Yang Clan was deeply involved or whether Gu Yang Hu, dispatched by the clan, was acting alone out of greed was something to investigate and address.

Dan Wuseong, who had just finished thoroughly beating the third son, said in a tone devoid of emotion.

“I’m leaving. Train well. When you chopped that tree earlier, your left foot was poorly positioned, so your waist couldn’t transfer the force properly.”

“Hmm…”

Danwooseong took a few steps before stopping and turning to look at Lee Jae-eon, who hadn’t answered. Lee Jae-eon, however, was in a state of profound shock after his eldest brother offered advice on martial arts. He was so confused he couldn’t tell if the Crown Prince was mad or if he himself was.

Only then did Lee Ja-eon reply.

“Ah, I understand.”

Dan Woo-seong commanded in a perfectly natural tone.

“And go apologize to the second son. Not an apology, but a formal apology. Understand?”

Lee Ja-eon replied.

“Yes, I will.”

“After apologizing, if the second son forgives you, then go visit Father in the hospital and tell him you received Hwa-eon’s forgiveness. His heart will be much lighter, and he’ll get up soon.”

“Yes.”

As Danwooseong disappeared, Lee Jae-eon clasped his face in his hands.

It felt like a storm had swept through him. Being beaten by his eldest brother hadn’t felt so unjust, but the words he’d spoken here lingered in his heart.

Then, Lee Ja-eon’s expression changed as if he’d realized something.

‘Huh? Could it be?’

Lee Ja-eon slammed his fist into the ground as his imagination took flight.

I should have gone to Gu Hwasan! That’s where I met the reclusive master! Otherwise, how could that weakling have…

A young man who had longed for the martial world his entire life was now alone, lost in his ‘martial world delusions’. Lee Ja-eon pounded the floor repeatedly with his fists.

“I! I! I! To the inner courtyard!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lee Ja-eon suddenly clenched his fist and frowned. The regret of the martial world came flooding in too late.

“Damn it… That almost broke.”

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.

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The guards waiting in the narrow passageway leading from the courtyard to the main hall watched Dan Wooseong approach with raised eyebrows when the Crown Prince emerged unharmed.

Dan Woo-seong glanced at the guards staring intently at him from both sides, then proceeded straight toward the main hall’s door. Two guards immediately followed and stepped in front of him.

Mok In-seop, who had been crouching in the main hall, stood up and addressed the two guards in a cold tone.

“Step aside when I’m speaking. What are you doing?”

Since they were outsiders hired to harm his fellow guards, Mok In-seop had never been fond of them to begin with.

Mok In-seop stopped mid-motion, his eyes wide as he tried to draw his sword.

The two men who had blocked the Crown Prince were simultaneously lifted into the air, their necks seized. Mok In-seop hadn’t even seen how the Crown Prince had moved.

“Gah!”

“Guh!”

Then, thud! Thud! The two guards tumbled to the floor, clutching their throats with both hands and gasping for air. The grip was strong, but an odd sensation made it feel like their throats were burning.

When Dan Woo-seong looked at Mok In-seop, Mok In-seop grinned and opened the main hall door.

Danwooseong spoke without even glancing at the fallen.

“The guards’ skills are utterly pathetic.”

Quick-witted Mok In-seop chuckled and replied.

“What should we do?”

Dan Woo-sung said in an irritated tone.

“If they lack skill, they should leave. I hear they even fought with other guards. We don’t need troublemakers.”

“Exactly.”

Dan Woo-sung said as he headed toward his quarters.

“You’re fired.”

Mok In-seop wanted to laugh out loud but deliberately held it back. Truthfully, he didn’t know if the Crown Prince could actually fire them, but judging by how things had unfolded so far, the outcome seemed to be going the Crown Prince’s way. The stifling situation at the merchant guild was gradually clearing up.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong

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