Of course, even if I had come here by mistake, I’m not the type to just turn around and leave.
The stench of death was thick in the air; there was no way I would miss that.
At my words, the Lord of Nameless Hall turned a benevolent smile toward the special-grade assassins who had managed to return alive.
Those assassins knew.
That expression on their Lord’s face only came out when he was truly pissed.
They also knew that if I left, they were as good as dead.
“Then I’ll trust you’ll keep your promise and get going.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I’m planning to go to the Gu Yang Family. I’m right, aren’t I? They’re the ones who commissioned you?”
The Lord of Nameless Hall nodded.
“That’s right. They asked us to kill the Lord of Steel-Glory Trading Company and his entire family.”
“Huh? That’s all?”
“Wasn’t that the only commission?”
“There wasn’t a commission to rescue anyone?”
“There was also a commission to kill everyone at Mok family forge and bring back Gu Yanghu from there.”
“What happened with Mok family forge?”
“The forge was empty, so we haven’t carried that one out yet. We only sent a communication to the Gu Yang Family.”
So they’d left to deliver the finished swords.
Good.
Even if they had been there, these people would never have gotten the job done anyway.
Before leaving, I’d already set up a formation so that one of my clones would appear if any danger arose at Mok family forge and protect them.
“So they put in a separate commission from the one against Steel-Glory Trading Company, huh? Why?”
“According to our information... we understand it as an attempt to seize the salt monopoly Steel-Glory Trading Company currently holds.”
“The salt monopoly?”
“Yes. Only trading companies designated by the court are granted the authority to handle salt. That authority is the salt monopoly. With just that, you can amass an enormous fortune.”
“That’s unexpected. With that much pull, you’d think the monopoly would’ve gone to their family’s trading house anyway. From what I’ve heard, the Gu Yang Family’s daughter is the empress.”
“Even if she is the empress, you can’t just forcibly snatch away a monopoly that was granted by imperial decree. In that case, there’s only one method. Steel-Glory Trading Company has to voluntarily return the monopoly.”
I could roughly guess the situation.
The uncle I knew would never bow to that kind of injustice.
That was probably exactly why they’d decided to remove him.
Once he was gone, they must have thought the people he left behind would be easy to bring under their thumb.
“They’ve got more money than they know what to do with, and their greed still has no end.”
“It’s not necessarily only about money.”
“Then what?”
“The Lord of Steel-Glory Trading Company has been taking the money earned from the salt monopoly and using it to help those in need. Public sentiment has swung heavily in his favor. I believe the Gu Yang Family considers that a future threat.”
Either way, it wasn’t because of me that the Lord of Steel-Glory Trading Company had been put in danger.
That was at least a small relief.
And it was sheer luck that I happened to be there with him.
If I hadn’t been?
Just thinking about it made my head go light.
I’d been too careless.
I’d have to make thorough preparations from now on.
What should I do with the Gu Yang Family?
Should I erase them?
If I erased these bastards, would business become peaceful?
It wouldn’t.
Even if they disappeared, some other bastards would just rush in to take their place.
“I’ll just have to make sure they can never pull something like this again.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Beat them down until they reflect.”
What exactly was I planning to beat down?
Judging by the look in the Lord of Nameless Hall’s eyes, if I hadn’t gone myself, he would’ve gone in my place.
He looked about ready to march over there, stare the bastard who’d commissioned the hit straight in the face, and tear his head off.
But since I said I would go, he quietly stepped back.
He had to be curious.
Curious how I was going to “smash” the Gu Yang Family.
In the end, there were only two options.
They either vanished, or—like Nameless Hall had just done—they surrendered and promised to live “honestly.”
“I’m heading out.”
“Go safely.”
As he watched my back recede, hand raised in a lazy wave, the Lord of Nameless Hall muttered,
“The Central Plains will now have to accept a new order.”
He was including himself and Nameless Hall in that, of course.
*****
Front gate of the Gu Yang Family.
I paused there for a moment, thinking.
Should I just walk in as I was?
With that thought, I reached into my robe and pulled out a black mask.
It was the one Jin Muryang had left behind.
I’d kept it because I liked it, and it turned out to be quite useful.
There was a chance I might have to erase the Gu Yang Family from the world, and if they knew I was the one who did it, it could cause needless trouble for the martial world.
The Gu Yang Family is not a martial clan.
If a non-martial aristocratic family were exterminated by the attack of a martial artist, the imperial army might move.
The Court–Martial Non-Interference Pact could end up being broken.
If that happened, the world would be thrown into chaos.
I don’t think of myself as a martial artist, but my family is a martial clan, and my grandfather is the strongest martial artist under heaven. People could easily misunderstand.
So I decided to hide my identity.
Putting on a mask I’d worn a few times when I was younger brought back memories.
A man walking up in a black mask looked suspicious no matter who saw him.
Naturally, the martial men guarding the Gu Yang Family—who had plenty of enemies—moved to block my approach.
“A suspicious bastard! Stop right there!”
“Strolling up at this hour in a black mask? What are you plotting? If you don’t speak honestly, I’ll cut you down where you stand!”
The martial men tried to intimidate me with murderous expressions.
This may not have been a martial clan, but the ones guarding this estate were still martial artists.
Not being a martial clan didn’t mean they hadn’t learned martial arts.
The difference between a martial clan and a prestigious aristocratic family was simply whether they operated in the martial world or in the court.
That’s right.
The Gu Yang Family isn’t a martial clan, but they are a family that possesses a fairly strong line of family martial arts.
People sometimes ask whether, if they’re learning martial arts, they shouldn’t be considered martial artists.
No.
They are court officials.
They work for the emperor and craft policy for the people.
That’s precisely why the Court–Martial Non-Interference Pact was created: to clearly divide the two sides.
Court officials do not interfere in the affairs of the martial world, and martial artists do not interfere in the affairs of the court.
Because of that, the court can save the cost of guarding against martial artists.
Also, the people serve the emperor. No matter how strong a martial artist is, they can’t simply ignore public sentiment. That’s why they respect the court and at least pretend, outwardly, to serve the emperor.
So while the Gu Yang Family is a prestigious aristocratic family within the court, they still train martial arts.
And those martial arts are quite strong.
People just don’t know it.
Think about °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° it.
They’re people who commit atrocities and refuse to let go of the power they have.
Do you really think bastards like that wouldn’t prepare at least one means of protecting themselves?
They’d prepared thoroughly.
And now I was appearing at the Gu Yang Family.
The martial men guarding the front gate carried a considerable aura.
It was the kind of presence you’d usually only see at the front gate of a great sect or one of the Five Great Clans.
“State your purpose!”
“I came to see the Gu Yang Family Head. So go announce me.”
At my words, the martial men laughed like they’d just heard the most ridiculous thing.
“Crazy bastard. You think the Family Head has time to waste?”
“We don’t have time to listen to nonsense. Get rid of him!”
At the order of the man who seemed to be the captain, the martial men surrounding me swung their swords in unison.
SMACK- SMACK-.
The sound wasn’t of blades slicing flesh.
It was the sound of slaps.
Are these guys playing with me?
I turned my head, and—
WHOOOSH— FWIP—.
Something big brushed past my face.
In the captain’s eyes, I was still standing there alone.
And the subordinates he’d just ordered to seize me?
Don’t tell me that slapping sound from a moment ago was...?
He slowly turned his head. Three men were crumpled into the front steps of the gate.
They weren’t moving. Looking closer, they were foaming at the mouth and showing the whites of their eyes as they lay unconscious.
Bright, clear handprints were stamped across their faces.
He hadn’t misheard.
Had I really taken them down with a single slap each?
The captain stumbled backward and shouted, inner power surging into his voice.
“E-enemy! Emergency! Emergency!”
At his cry, the emergency bell began to ring furiously, and the Gu Yang estate erupted into commotion.
Grinning, I walked toward the main gate.
The captain moved to stop me, but—
SMACK—
THUD—
One slap sent him flying, and he crashed down and passed out.
Stepping over the unconscious captain, I entered through the gate, and the first thing I saw were soldiers.
Armored soldiers had formed a battle array and were waiting to greet me.
It hadn’t been that long, but they’d responded quickly.
I could tell how harshly the Gu Yang Family usually drilled their soldiers.
Looking around, I could see not only soldiers with spears.
The rooftops were already packed with archers who had taken aim and were just waiting for the order.
A man in red armor walked out slowly and spoke.
Anyone could see at a glance he was a general.
“Who are you? Do you even understand where you’re causing this disturbance?”
“This is the Gu Yang Family, isn’t it?”
“And you’re doing this even knowing that?”
“I heard the Gu Yang Family’s tyranny is reaching up to the heavens, so I came to hand out a little punishment.”
“You think you’re some kind of god?”
“Couldn’t see why not.”
“How arrogant. Are you a martial artist?”
“No. I don’t even have inner power.”
“An ordinary man... took down the martial men guarding the front gate with slaps? And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“Believe it or don’t, I don’t care. Just go fetch your Family Head.”
“Stop right there. If you take a single step further, I won’t let you walk away.”
I lightly ignored the general’s words and had no intention of stopping.
“You bastard! From this moment on, everything that happens is entirely your fault!”
The general raised his hand and brought it down, and the archers on the roofs all drew their bowstrings and loosed at once.
PING— PIPIPIPIPING—
SHHHHHHH—
A rain of arrows that covered the sky came crashing down toward me.
PAPAPAPAPAPAT—
More arrows than anyone could count struck me dead-on.
I’d expected them to dodge, but surprisingly, they didn’t.
Had I come here to commit suicide?
Feeling how tense I’d been, it almost felt pointless.
THUNK— THUDDUDUDUNK—
And then it happened.
All the arrows lodged in my body fell to the ground at once.
Seeing me standing there without so much as a scratch, the general and every soldier present froze in shock.
“So you were a martial artist after all!”
He’d never believed otherwise in the first place.
CLANG—!
The general drew his sword.
“Form the Iron-Blood Ghost Formation!”
At his shout, the soldiers began to move in perfect unison.
These weren’t ordinary soldiers.
There weren’t many of them, but they all possessed inner power.
The reason was this Iron-Blood Ghost Formation.
“Did you think we wouldn’t have any countermeasures prepared for martial artists? You picked the wrong target! Inside the Iron-Blood Ghost Formation, you’ll taste helplessness and die!”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—.
With the drumbeats, the soldiers wove around in a dazzling pattern.
For the first time, my steps stopped.
Seeing that, the general smiled.
He thought I’d panicked.
He was wrong.
I was just watching because it was interesting.
No Life Gate, and the Five Elements are flowing in reverse. If you try to draw on inner power in here, it’ll just rebound on you.
It was an amusing formation.
As the flow of energy reversed, the world began to blur, and because of that, you couldn’t get a sense of direction at all.
The inner power of the many soldiers gathered here was compressing into one and pressing down on me in the center of the formation.
Each individual’s inner power was negligible, but as it gathered in one place, its force became as strong as that of a master at the absolute peak.
Inside the Iron-Blood Ghost Formation, they grew steadily stronger, while their opponent couldn’t draw up inner power and could only sit there and take it.
It was a pretty useful formation.