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Chapter 78. An Unfair World
East of Luoyang, in Waryong Manor.
From early morning, Baek Miju's sharp voice echoed throughout the house.
“Has Seolju left again?”
“I went to look for her because she didn't come for breakfast, and I found a note. It seems she left at dawn.”
Yeon Seungbaek, the second son, cautiously handed her a letter.
Baek Miju's eyes trembled with anger as she read the note.
“That crazy girl...! I sent a matchmaker to Jinpyeong’s shop yesterday, and today she runs away from home. Where is your brother?”
“He urgently went to Luoyang for a matter of the Baekse Chamber of Commerce.”
“And what problem does the Baekse Chamber of Commerce have now?”
“Probably something happened at a brothel or a gambling house during the night. Lately, many people are openly looking for trouble.”
“Those who call for these matters and those who run to attend to them are the same...”
“Mother, if we yield once, we will have to yield everything. He is not doing it for the Baekse Chamber of Commerce, but for us. No matter who manages the Chamber, if we lose the job, only we suffer.”
“So, do you think it’s right for your brother to be running errands for the Chamber while Seolju has run away?”
“I will look for Seolju. Don’t be too harsh on my brother.”
Yeon Seungbaek felt frustrated with his mother.
She had been the one to start the business with the Baekse Chamber of Commerce and borrowed money. His brother ran tirelessly to resolve those matters. However, his mother was always dissatisfied with him, especially since he got married.
“Find her quickly, before she does something foolish. We need to marry her off soon so we can live in peace.”
Baek Miju muttered for a while before entering her room.
Yeon Seungbaek immediately sent the Rising Star Division to search for Yeon Seolju.
However, Yeon Seolju did not appear in Luoyang or its surroundings.
Yeon Seungbaek even went to ask the Five Heroes of Luoyang, but they knew nothing either.
Three days later.
At midnight, five men and one woman easily jumped over the wall of Waryong Manor.
As she crossed the courtyard as if she were on a stroll, Lunar Fairy let out a laugh.
“Oh, oh! I like this place. It could be a good headquarters for the church in Henan Province. Consider this building as payment for the crimes of the Moon-Splitting Swordsman. Be careful not to damage the structure.”
“Yes.”
Five Demon Warriors responded in unison.
The noise woke the guards of Waryong Manor, who began to come out one by one.
Soon, Yeon Mubaek and Yeon Seungbaek slowly approached the intruders.
Yeon Mubaek asked nervously.
“Who are you?”
Without answering, Lunar Fairy looked at the crowd with disdain and shouted.
“Those who have nothing to do with Yeon Muryong, get lost!”
Yeon Mubaek’s heart sank upon hearing his late father’s name mentioned in Waryong Manor. Only Lunar Fairy would dare to do that.
“Lunar Fairy?”
The name slipped out of Yeon Mubaek’s mouth before he realized it.
The guards of Waryong Manor backed away, frightened.
They were mercenaries with no firm loyalty, prioritizing their safety.
Yeon Mubaek hurried Yeon Seungbaek to retreat.
Meanwhile, some Yeon Family Elders, who arrived late and did not understand the situation, began to shout.
“Who are you people?”
Lunar Fairy burst into laughter.
“Oh, oh, oh!”
Yeon Mubaek grabbed Yeon Seungbaek and ran towards the house.
The guards of Waryong Manor, seeing the two brothers flee, scattered like locusts.
“Seungbaek, take mother with you. I will take care of my wife and we will meet up.”
“Where will we meet?”
“We will meet at the Baekse Chamber of Commerce and discuss the next steps.”
“Alright.”
Yeon Mubaek and Yeon Seungbaek separated in the darkness.
Soon after, a fight broke out between the Yeon Family Elders and the Demon Warriors in the main courtyard.
But more than a fight, it was a one-sided massacre.
The Yeon Family Elders were killed by the Demon Warriors with barely any resistance.
The fight ended in the blink of an eye.
Except for the five bodies of the Elders, everyone else had fled.
Lunar Fairy clicked her tongue in disdain.
“Tch, tch! They’re not even better than insects. At least the Namgung Family lasted longer. But this... They didn’t even have a chance to draw their swords. Rumors are never reliable.”
Recalling the fight against the Namgung Family, Lunar Fairy felt she had wasted her energy fully recovering, only for these men to flee like small fry. Waryong Manor was supposed to be famous in Henan, but it turned out to be worse than a minor organization.
Go Jinseok, the leader of the Demon Warriors, cautiously asked.
“Madame, what do we do now?”
“What do you think? Search the buildings for any hidden Yeon Family members.”
“Yes.”
The Demon Warriors scattered.
They returned an hour later with a report.
“Not a single ant here.”
Upon Go Jinseok’s report, Lunar Fairy smiled coldly.
“Hmph! The Yeon Family is weak. At dawn, capture some of them. We need to find Yeon Muryong’s tomb.”
“Understood.”
Thus, Waryong Manor, once prominent, fell in a single day.
Since the fall of the Namgung Family had foreshadowed this, the members of Murim were not too surprised.
In fact, the subsequent stories were more shocking.
Lunar Fairy dug up Yeon Muryong’s corpse, broke his bones, and threw them into the toilet.
This fact gave rise to a long-lasting warning: “Never anger Lunar Fairy.”
After the fall of the Namgung Family and Waryong Manor, the Murim Sects avoided confronting the Yoomyung Cult.
Meanwhile, the Disciples of the Rising Star Division and Hidden Dragon Division, who had escaped from Waryong Manor, scattered.
The Blue Dragon Division and White Tiger Division, which remained at the Baekse Chamber of Commerce in Luoyang, also disbanded. The Baekse Chamber of Commerce, concerned about the Yoomyung Cult, severed its ties with Waryong Manor.
The Blue Dragon Division became wanderers in Murim, and the White Tiger Division returned with Baek Miju to the Baek Mansion in Zhengzhou.
The young master Yeon Mubaek moved to his mother-in-law’s house in Zhengzhou along with his younger brother, Yeon Seungbaek. He had become a son-in-law by unforeseen circumstances.
Since the Yoomyung Cult had no influence in Zhengzhou, the Yang Family welcomed the two brothers with open arms. Thus, the roots of Waryong Manor shifted from Luoyang to Zhengzhou.
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Henan Province.
Bangseong County.
An old man and a young man walked down the bustling street under the scorching autumn sun.
Both seemed to be people from Murim; the old man carried a willow-leaf knife at his waist, and the young man, an old-style sword. They had left Five Peaks Mountain for a well-deserved break: they were Yeon Jeokha and Shim Yanggak.
As they walked among the crowd of hurried people, Yeon Jeokha murmured.
“Ah, it's great to travel simply. I don't have to worry about someone causing trouble.”
“That's true, it's not good for Murim warriors to travel in groups unless they are going to fight.”
“Then why did you join me, Old Shim?”
“Hehe, I want to repay the favor before I die, so I must follow you diligently.”
“Isn't it because you were bored of being cooped up in the mountain?”
“A bit of that too.”
“Anyway, you’re not an ordinary old man.”
Despite his words, Yeon Jeokha showed no signs of annoyance. His lack of experience in the world and his ignorance of the paths made traveling with Shim Yanggak convenient.
“Young Master, how about we eat something before we continue?”
“Let’s do it.”
Both entered a nearby restaurant called Sinheung Banjeom. As it offered both lodging and food, the place was crowded despite the early hour.
As soon as they sat at a table in a corner, a waiter quickly approached them. Shim Yanggak made a simple order instead of Yeon Jeokha.
The waiter, as he headed to the kitchen, curiously glanced at Yeon Jeokha and Shim Yanggak, finding it strange that the old man made the order instead of the young man.
Soon after, the table was filled with dishes: roasted chicken, lamb soup, lamb-filled buns, boiled pork, sliced meat, egg soup, and stir-fried vegetables.
It seemed like too much food for two people, which attracted envious looks from some. But for the two, who were used to abundance, this was normal.
As they chatted about trivial matters and ate half the food, six men entered noisily. They were scruffy-looking wanderers with malicious expressions.
Immediately, they headed to the tables by the window and, with threatening looks, forced the diners to get up and give up their seats. Neither the owner nor the waiter dared to say anything, merely taking the orders in silence.
Shim Yanggak, while eating enthusiastically, spoke:
“Young Master, how about we stay here tonight?”
“As you wish.”
Yeon Jeokha nodded. After eating so much, the afternoon was already advanced, and continuing the journey would be inconvenient.
“Then, after eating, I’ll get a room.”
“Do as you like.”
With their stomachs full, Yeon Jeokha drank tea. Despite having eaten a lot, there was still half the food left on the table. Remembering the days when he barely survived by begging, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied with his current life.
Yeon Jeokha smiled, reminiscing about the past. At that moment, one of the wanderers commented:
“What’s the point of ordering so much food if you can’t eat it? It’s really unfair. Some of us work ourselves to exhaustion and can barely afford a bun, while others have so much they can waste the leftovers.”
Shim Yanggak looked up at Yeon Jeokha.
“Hehe, there are those who take others’ places by force and then complain about the world’s unfairness.”
The six wanderers stopped eating and turned their heads. The leader, known as the Red Blood Swordsman, Chu Gong, spoke:
“Old man, are you talking to us?”
Yeon Jeokha immediately replied.
“Oh, old man? Shim, if you hold back here, you might get sick.”
Shim Yanggak frowned, unsure whether to restrain himself or not.
Thinking they had been belittled, Chu Gong continued:
“Damn brat, if you want to live long, shut your mouth.”
When Yeon Jeokha was insulted, Shim Yanggak couldn’t hold back any longer. He put down his chopsticks and slowly stood up, turning his body towards the wanderers.
“Hehe. You dare insult the Young Master? You’re courting death.”
Killing intent emanated from his entire body, oppressing the six wanderers and suffocating them.
“Ugh…”
“Argh!”
The wanderers writhed and banged their heads on the table. As foam oozed from their mouths, Yeon Jeokha intervened:
“Old Shim, stop. You might kill them. It's unpleasant, so better break an arm or a leg next time. This is not right.”
“My apologies. Next time I’ll do it more cleanly.”
Shim Yanggak bowed his head in apology.
The wanderers, barely recovering, didn’t dare lift their heads and looked at the ground. Yeon Jeokha asked Chu Gong:
“Hey, the one who insulted me, what's your name?”
“Chu… Chu Gong.”
“Take all this food to your table.”
“What?”
For a moment, Chu Gong didn’t quite understand Yeon Jeokha’s words.
“Take the food we left. It’s still edible.”
“Ah, yes.”
Finally understanding, Chu Gong and the other five wanderers quickly got up and began moving the food to their table. They thought that after being beaten, at least they were being offered food.