Chapter 143

There were a few other sects as well, but only these three needed to be remembered.

The head of the Im Household, Im Jinhae, was a master of Five Dragons Offering to the Sacred One, and the leaders of the other two sects were at Three Flowers Gathering Purity.

What was interesting was their children.

All of them were outstandingly talented, and quite well-known even within Jeokan. They were famous enough to have a name of their own.

The heirs of the One Gate, Three Clans were called the Eight Dragons of Jeokan—a title coined directly by Lee Jagyeom of the Hwar Yeong Sword Sect to flaunt their superiority.

By contrast, the gifted children of the Im Household, Jeong Clan, and Hyeok Clan were considered a tier below, and known as the Three Tigers of Jeokan.

Dragons and tigers.

Just by hearing it, you could tell who was considered above who. But now, the roles had been reversed.

Because the Eight Dragons of Jeokan—every last one of them—were dead.

And frankly, the Three Tigers of Jeokan were never lacking compared to the Eight Dragons. The young man standing before Yangso, Im Jinhae’s son, was considered the most promising of them all.

So it was only natural that Im Jinhae would try to form ties with Yangso.

Like he was doing now.

“And... this is a token of my sincerity. I hope you’ll find it useful.”

Im Jinhae held out a box carved from ornate purple sandalwood.

“Hahaha... You didn’t have to bring something like this... come now.”

Yangso laughed awkwardly, but as he slid open the lid and peeked inside, a grin crept across his face, and he quietly pushed the box beneath the desk.

It was clearly a bribe. And Yangso had accepted it.

But this needs to be said plainly:

Yangso’s action was not in defiance of Seol Unhwi’s orders.

Unhwi had said:

—Becoming the branch lord of Jeokan means becoming its administrator. I don’t care if you take bribes or whatever else during the process of stabilizing things. But.

But.

What followed was the important part.

—There must be no issues with the taxes sent to the main palace. And make sure you keep records. I don’t care if you use double ledgers.

Yangso had even asked, out of sheer curiosity.

“Can I really do that?”

Unhwi had answered clearly.

Yes.

He said taking bribes wasn’t a problem—so long as it didn’t go too far. As long as Yangso stayed within reason, he had free rein. And this bribe fell within that boundary.

Naturally, Yangso would write it down in the ledger—and he planned to send that record to Unhwi.

“I’ll make good use of it.”

“Hahaha. Then I, this humble Im, shall take my leave.”

“Take care.”

Im Jinhae bowed deeply and exited the room.

His footsteps carried the elegance of a master of Five Dragons Offering to the Sacred One, but there was also caution in his manner—appropriate for someone who had watched the mighty One Gate, Three Clans collapse in a single night.

Especially since Yangso had been one of the vanguard that brought them down.

A restructuring of power centered around him was only natural.

Yangso turned his head after seeing Im Jinhae off—and nearly had a heart attack.

“Whoa... wh-when did you get here?”

Leaning against the wall, Sim Munryong took a slow bite from a golden apple and replied lazily:

“Me? Been here a while.”

Yangso swallowed hard. Damn it.

“You could’ve said something... That was scary.”

Sim Munryong was one of the Twelve Cold Commanders of the White Falcon Guard—personally dispatched by Unhwi to oversee Jeokan after its capture.

He wasn’t originally born into the White Falcon Guard, but he was a master of the Mythic Realm.

Someone of that level could move like a shadow. Honestly, it would’ve been stranger if Yangso had noticed him.

“What’s scary, dumbass. I watched you accept a bribe plain as day. So what should I do now? Cut your head off?”

At that, Yangso nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Wh-what are you saying?! This was all approved by Lord Seol himself!”

Sim Munryong tilted his head, genuine confusion in his eyes.

“That guy?”

“Yes. You think I’d be crazy enough to pocket that in secret?”

“How should I know? You could be that kind of guy.”

Yangso’s face twisted. He had pledged absolute loyalty to Seol Unhwi.

“...Do I look like that kind of guy?”

“Relax, jackass. At least right now, yeah—you do.”

Sim Munryong chuckled and casually opened the box. Gold light reflected off his face.

“Damn... how much is this? Gold coins... at least 500 nyang?”

Yangso said nothing. He pulled out the ledger and wrote down the exact amount. His brush strokes were precise and practiced—clearly, he’d done this before.

“That’s just for now. But it’ll probably go up. This isn’t the first.”

Sim Munryong picked up one of the gold coins, held it to the light, then put it back in the box. Then, with a suddenly innocent expression, he asked:

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Can I take a cut?”

Yangso’s expression grew strange. He studied Sim Munryong’s face—it was hard to tell if he was serious or joking.

“...Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be taking less than me?”

“Don’t be stingy. You probably don’t know, but the White Falcon Guard’s salary is pathetic. I need a little on the side, too, or how am I supposed to live?”

Sim Munryong was whining like a child—but his eyes were sharp, like a hunting eagle’s. He was watching Yangso’s reactions very closely.

With a reluctant sigh, Yangso said:

“Fine. Take it.”

Sim Munryong chuckled and stood, waving it off like a joke.

“Just kidding. What would I even do with that? Not like I’ve got anywhere to spend it.”

Yangso scratched his head and asked:

“When are you leaving?”

“Why? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Sim Munryong stared at Yangso. There was danger in his gaze.

“...No? Not at all.”

Truthfully, it was uncomfortable.

Sim Munryong had been sent by Seol Unhwi himself.

Since no one knew what might happen in Jeokan, Unhwi had ordered a member of the White Falcon Guard to stand watch—and damn, if he wasn’t like a ghost.

Sometimes he seemed totally loyal to Seol Unhwi... but the way he talked made you question that.

Sim Munryong walked to the window and looked out.

The streets of Jeokan were slowly returning to peace. Burnt buildings were being torn down. New ones were starting to rise.

“Hey, Heavenly Sword Mad Dragon.”

“...Yes?”

“I don’t trust you. But I do trust that bastard Seol Unhwi.”

Sim Munryong stared out the window for a while. His eyes were full of complicated emotion.

“If he sat you down here, he didn’t do it for no reason... He’ll keep someone behind you, and put people around you who’ll follow you. Right?”

Yangso nodded.

What Sim Munryong said was true. Those who would lead Jeokan’s new order would be loyal to Seol Unhwi—and, by extension, follow Yangso.

And that was already happening.

“You’re a softie.”

“...Me?”

Sim Munryong turned away and looked outside again.

Emblazoned across his wide back was the character 十二—marking him as the Twelfth Commander among the Twelve Cold Commanders of the White Falcon Guard.

One of the most elite of the elite from Snow Palace.

“You know why I’m here?”

Yangso nodded.

“To keep the Sacheon and Martial Alliances in check.”

“You’re half right.”

Sim Munryong held out his hand into the sunlight streaming through the window. Light trickled between his fingers.

“The real reason I’m here is to protect you.”

Yangso’s eyes widened.

“...Protect me?”

“Yeah. That bastard Unhwi said so. ‘Jeokan belongs to Yangso now. Yangso is my man. Protect my man.’”

There was weight in Sim Munryong’s voice—as if he were repeating Unhwi’s words exactly.

Yangso suddenly felt his chest grow warm.

That Seol Unhwi trusted him that much.

“...You mean someone might try to assassinate me?”

“Who knows. Could be assassination. Could be someone trying to suppress you. Don’t worry about it. Just do your job.”

“...Understood.”

“But anyway.”

Sim Munryong suddenly grew serious.

“Make sure you meet the Three Tigers of Jeokan.”

“...All of a sudden?”

“Especially Im Chiwoon. Meet him in private.”

“...And what am I supposed to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) say?”

“What, you want me to tell you that too?”

“I was asking for advice.”

“Advice, huh... My nose is pretty sensitive. And I think I caught a faint whiff of Sama Outer Branch off that Im Chiwoon punk.”

“...You can smell that?”

“You think I want to?”

Either way, Sim Munryong was here because of Unhwi’s consideration.

He was sent to help Yangso stabilize and restore Jeokan.

“I’m not totally sure. But better safe than sorry. Call him in and have a proper talk.”

“Will you be watching in secret?”

Sim Munryong just smiled and walked out of the room.

Left alone, Yangso finally broke into a laugh.

A new order was taking root in Jeokan.