Chapter 5 Pruning (2)

Chapter 5 Pruning (2)

A short while later.

Having finished their conversation, Gu Yangji and Yu Zhangming saw Bai Qian off at the inn entrance.

“I will handle this matter properly.”

“Truly…”

Gu Yangjeok swiftly stopped Baekcheon, who was choking back tears and about to kneel.

Yu Jangmyeong watched this and nodded, thinking, ‘Indeed.’ But Gu Yangjeok’s thoughts were different.

‘Living like a Taoist is really difficult.’

If Yu Jangmyeong hadn’t been there, he would have harshly reprimanded him.

-Please don’t draw unnecessary attention.

Startled by the telepathic message, Baekcheon replied.

“Ah, my apologies.”

A carefree smile played on Gu Yangji’s face.

“It’s fine. This too is only natural for a Taoist.”

Yu Jang-myeong watched this with a satisfied expression.

“Master, shouldn’t we be heading out soon?”

“Indeed.”

Gu Yang-jeok shrugged his shoulders once and gave Baek Cheon a light bow.

“We’ll meet at the main gate of Geumhwan Trading Company the day after tomorrow.”

“……Huh?”

Why the day after tomorrow?

Baek Cheon hurriedly reached out to ask, but it was already too late.

Whoosh.

Gu Yangjeok’s figure, present just moments ago, vanished without a trace, leaving Baek Cheon’s hand cutting through empty air.

The two brothers had already moved far away.

Is that what a martial artist is like? Baek Cheon marveled deeply.

‘Good heavens, what a ghost-like swiftness this young hero possesses.’

Brother Yu Zhangming, who could bestow virtue even upon a stranger, and disciple Gu Yangjie, whose composure stood out as remarkably beyond his years.

Baekcheon gazed at the ridge where the brothers had vanished, his eyes filled with expectation.

‘It seemed as if the entire world had been drenched in darkness.’

After losing everything to the Golden Ring Guild, he’d thought he’d have to take his own life, unable to face his dead wife.

But now, hope had returned.

‘I still have a place to go.’

Soon, Baekcheon began walking home. Today, he planned to eat some porridge to regain his strength.

* * *

“…Bright.”

Gu Yangjeok shielded his eyes from the setting sun with his palm and began to organize his thoughts.

Simply put, Baekcheon was a victim.

A good man who had never resorted to underhanded tactics, never squeezed anyone dry out of greed—except for the customary tip given to the gatekeeper.

In short, he was a fool who believed everything could be resolved through honest means alone.

‘…Just like the person right beside me.’

Gu Yangjie’s gaze shifted to Yu Zhangming.

Martial arts? Fine.

Character? Beyond reproach.

But even so, shouldn’t one at least know how to doubt others?

‘What if Baekcheon was a spy sent to deceive us?’

It was a stretch, but once you descended from Huashan and stepped into the martial world, you had to anticipate every danger.

Even the beggar we encountered at the inn had shown up far too soon.

How long had it been since we left Huashan that he was already following us to where we ate?

And to have the nerve to sprawl out in plain sight like that.

Given the characteristics of the sect Gu Yangji knew, this situation could be explained in one way.

‘Because he’s so foolishly oblivious to his surroundings, yet still manages to be righteous.’

It meant that rather than risking suspicion by tailing him discreetly, it was better to follow him openly.

Perhaps something like this had happened?

“Heh heh, meeting three times in one day! What a coincidence! Let’s travel together!”

At those words, the beggar startled, took a step back, but with not a shred of hostility, nodded readily.

‘…Somehow, this even seems plausible.’

Gu Yangji brushed the goosebumps rising on one arm.

Just then, Yu Zhangming spoke up.

“Priest, I have one thing I wish to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you send the letter in advance?”

At those words, Gu Yangjeok blinked hard, then rubbed his ear with his index finger.

‘Did I hear that wrong?’

Somehow, it felt like he’d heard a phantom.

Just in case, he tried to ask, but Gu Yangjeok’s face twisted in disgust.

“The letter?”

“Yes, the letter.”

Yu Zhangming wore a calm expression, as if stating the obvious.

“We’re visiting the trading house that handles our finances. Going like this is no different from a surprise attack.”

“……That’s true.”

“Even if that’s true! As disciples of the Great Hua Mountain, don’t we have a code of conduct we should uphold? “

It’s a valid point, but in the martial world, no one cares whether it’s the Great Huashan or the Grand Huashan.

It’s solely survival of the fittest, or the strong prevail.

The martial world was a realm where only the strong and the cunning survived.

Even the Green Forest, known as the ‘mountain bandits,’ only cared about swiftly clearing away the corpses.

But to send a letter first, clearing one’s throat and maintaining decorum?

Gu Yangji was utterly dumbfounded.

“Senior Brother, there is a proper way to handle matters.”

“A proper way?”

“We’re going to expose their corruption. If we tell them we’re coming, how will they respond?”

At those words, Yu Zhangming relented and pondered for a moment.

“…Hmm.”

“Didn’t you also realize something just now, Senior Brother?”

The creases on Yu Zhangming’s forehead deepened noticeably.

Listening to Baek Cheon’s story, he had a fresh realization.

‘What I see and hear is different from the actual hardships people endure.’

What had it been like when he went out with senior disciples or elders?

He’d returned wearing fine clothes, having eaten well, and receiving respect bordering on excessive.

The stories shared were mostly beneficial and pleasant.

But his outing with Gu Yangjeok was different.

“Those bastards are demons. Demons who feed on countless lives to survive.”

The resentment Baekcheon spewed at every moment was beyond imagination, and the curses he poured out were enough to fill twenty pages of a book.

Judging by his actions up to now, he was a thoroughly good person.

But when he poured out hostility toward Geumhwan Sanghoe, he became a different person.

Not content with killing his wife, they had taken everything away.

And to think he harbored such deep venom even though he had walked only the righteous path, yet Geumhwan Sanghoe had attacked him.

Listening to it made his breath catch in his throat.

It was a story of the world he hadn’t heard before, and at the same time, it was a true facet of the martial world.

‘Perhaps the priest was right.’

Yu Zhangming still didn’t want to believe everyone was like that.

Yet he couldn’t deny Gu Yangjie’s words either—what a contradiction.

Yu Zhangming’s gaze turned to Gu Yangjie.

He wondered what the martial world looked like through those eyes.

“Can you show it to this senior brother?”

“What do you mean?”

“The true face of the Golden Ring Sect, as told by the Great Hero Bai.” “

Seeing the turmoil in Yu Zhangming’s eyes, Gu Yangjie suddenly wore a bitter smile.

He still didn’t know.

The malice harbored within the martial arts world, the ambition to climb higher no matter what sins one committed.

If he saw someone commit the sin of killing a knight and then become a master’s disciple, how would Yu Zhangming react?

It hadn’t happened yet. But Gu Yangjie couldn’t shake the look of regret.

Instead, he concealed his sorrow with a deep, dark laugh.

“Just follow this master well!”

Gu Yangjie’s teeth clenched tightly as he laughed, wrinkles creasing his jawline.

* * *

An hour later.

A warrior lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his shattered knee.

‘Is this real?’

It still felt unreal.

When did it all go wrong?

When he revealed he was Huashan’s disciple?

Or when he sneered at the youngling who hadn’t even reached adulthood?

…Or when he had unfolded the scroll?

He couldn’t quite recall. No, he didn’t want to.

‘He knew about Baekcheon too.’

The warrior wanted to deny this situation.

He wanted to dismiss the sensation of every single hair standing on end as just a nightmare.

Thud!

If only this pain, like being stabbed with a blade, weren’t here.

Wu-in could only stare blankly at Gu Yang-jeok, who sat the Golden Ring Guild Master down and was flipping through the ledgers.

‘This is bad. I need to get up and stop him. If the ledgers are revealed, it’ll be completely…’

But his ankles showed no sign of movement, regardless of the warrior’s will.

Not only were the ligaments completely severed, but shattered bone fragments pierced him everywhere, rendering him immobile.

The sensation was particularly acute.

Like a sailboat adrift on a vast ocean, unable to move, the warrior’s feet felt nothing.

Even the will to move was gone.

The warrior scraped his bare hands frantically across the wooden floor.

“…Ugh, uwaaaaah!”

Gu Yang-jeok picked up that sound with acute sensitivity.

Another warrior might be waiting near the Golden Ring Trading Company.

“Shut up.”

Thwack!

Without even looking, Gu Yang-jeok’s foot struck the warrior’s vital point with exquisite precision.

“Guh.”

Even as he watched the warrior collapse unconscious from the pain, Yu Zhangming made no move to intervene.

Had Bai Danxian been present, he would have clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Not only did Yu Zhangming, who had sent him to restrain Gu Yangji, fail to stop him—he seemed to half-approve.

This was uncharacteristic of Yu Zhangming.

But.

That was assuming the opponent hadn’t struck first with cowardice.

“I believed you wouldn’t resort to such tactics.”

At those words, the Sect Leader choked on his own spittle.

“Guh, guh. Master Yu, it’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

Yu Zhangming maintained an uncharacteristically cold smile.

“I trusted you enough to send the priest first. What was your action then?”

Cough.

The Sect Leader avoided answering with a loud cough. But Yu Jang-myeong showed no mercy.

However clumsy he might be, he was still a martial artist.

‘His throat isn’t even sore.’

He wasn’t so foolish as to not recognize a fake cough.

Yu Zhangming pushed the bitterness deep inside.

At least this time, Gu Yangdi was right.

In the martial world, a vow was lighter than a scrap of paper.

Yu Zhangming’s expression turned utterly serious.

“Not content with trying to kill a priest who hadn’t even taken his vows, you committed evil deeds against that man, Baek Cheon.”

“Guh, grrr… Touch me, and you’ll regret it.”

“Not a shred of remorse.”

Yu Zhangming exhaled a long sigh, glaring at the Sect Leader with utter disgust.

Not content with embezzling Huashan’s assets, he used that wealth to torment innocent civilians.

Utterly, utterly unforgivable. An evil deed no one could pardon.

While Yu Zhangming kept a watchful eye on the sect leader, the sect leader was looking up at Gu Yangji.

‘…This bastard is the most dangerous!’

“Ten taels, three cash, profit of four taels.”

Thwack, thwack.

Scraping the abacus mercilessly with ten fingers, not content with merely calculating, that speed of calculation finishing in an instant.

The decisiveness to strike down the Golden Coin Exchange, which no one in the Huashan Sect dared touch, in one fell swoop.

He even came with the justification of Bai Qian, leaving no room for argument.

Given this, it was impossible to connect embezzlement to the Golden Coin Exchange elsewhere.

No, precisely because of that, he deserved even greater praise.

Despite risking censure from the sect, the elder brothers stepped forward for Baekcheon, that true man.

What a splendid resonance!

“You’ve skimmed quite a lot, haven’t you?”

As if he knew everything already.

Gu Yangjeok’s laughter was sharp beyond measure, chilling the sect leader to the bone.

‘Am I being intimidated by a mere youngster?’

That thing called pride made the sect leader spit out sarcastic words.

“…Well, you’re quite quick, aren’t you? Heh heh.”

Thump.

At those words, Gu Yangjeok paused his counting.

“Don’t laugh.”

The following words flowed in through telepathy.

-If you truly don’t want to die.

“…!”

It was far too murderous a threat for a so-called Taoist.

‘T-It’s real!’

Gulp.

As the terrified head monk unconsciously swallowed his saliva, Gu Yangjeok chuckled.

“Instead of laughing, you’d better think about how you’re going to cough up all the money you’ve skimmed off the top until now.”

‘No way… has he already finished all the calculations?’

As the sect leader hesitated, Yu Zhangming warned.

“Pay merchant Baek Cheon his rightful compensation.”

“U-um, rightful compensation…?”

“Leave that to him.”

Yu Zhangming answered in a manner befitting a Taoist, yet to the sect leader, it sounded even more sinister.

‘Is he telling me to die?!’

He might have even meant to make him a slave.

The head monk’s face paled with horror.

“That alone…!”

“It’s all your sin. Bear it.”

Yu Jang-myeong cut him off decisively and turned his gaze to Gu Yang-jeok.

Though less than a day had passed since he took the ledger, Gu Yangjeok was already setting down his abacus.

Seeing this, Yoo Jang-myeong was also deeply astonished inside.

‘Not only martial arts, but he excels in miscellaneous studies too. Without my knowing, the enemy has grown quite capable.’

Yoo Jang-myeong felt both impressed and a hint of apprehension as he asked.

“Have you finished the calculations already?”

“Well, it’s nothing particularly remarkable.”

Gu Yangjeok wiped his nose with his finger and tossed the paper at Hwaju’s face.

“Prepare at least half of it by noon tomorrow.”

Hwaju’s hand reflexively reached for the fluttering paper. Glancing at the numbers, he let out a pained scream.

“…Gah, GAH!”

Three hundred gold taels, or one hundred and twenty silver taels.

It was enough to fill twenty granaries with rice from the south and feed three entire counties to satiety.

The image of the gaunt, emaciated Zhao Hun surfaced in his mind.

Click.

Gu Yangjie paid no heed to the master’s shrieks.

The image of the emaciated Zhao Hun contrasted sharply with those who had lived lavishly off the sect’s wealth, and his anger flared anew.

“Why did you touch the Hwasan Sect’s wealth?!”

At those words, the Sect Leader clutched Gu Yang-jeok’s trousers.

At this rate, it seemed he’d be sold off as an unpaid slave, beyond mere bankruptcy.

With ruin staring him in the face, pride be damned, tears welled up in his eyes.

“Ah, I’ll do better from now on! So please…!”

“Let go.”

Gouyang Jie roughly pushed the head monk away and addressed You Zhangming.

“Brother, let’s head to the inn now.”

“Alright.”

Squeak-

As they flung open the door, the brothers encountered someone they’d never seen before.

To borrow Gouyang Jie’s expression.

‘Is he trying to show off that he’s an assassin?’

His expression was particularly unpleasant to encounter at night, so Gu Yangjie locked eyes with Yu Zhangming.

The meaning was clear to both.

-Looks like we’ll have to spend the night here.

Yu Zhangming’s face stiffened, turning cold with rage.

“These bastards still haven’t learned their lesson!”

“Hold on.”

But Gu Yangjeok stopped Yu Jangmyeong.

After all, Geumhwan Trading was a civilian enterprise.

If Yu Jangmyeong meddled, it would only invite gossip.

But Gu Yangjeok was confident he could use that to his advantage.

“I’ll handle it.”

“……?”

“One second is enough. Brother, please make sure the head of the company doesn’t escape.”

CRACK…!

They say you have to beat a dog with your fists to make it obedient.

So much force poured into Gu Yangjeok’s fist that his skin turned deathly pale.